October 7<\/a> from soldiers, reservists and relatives. The organization believes the actual number is higher, as many callers choose not to identify themselves as currently serving in the military.<\/p>\n\u201cSome reservists tell us their business collapsed or they can\u2019t find work,\u201d Dr. Daniels said. \u201cBut more than anything, they\u2019re struggling with the pressure it puts on their families. Going from extended combat readiness to being emotionally open at home is incredibly difficult. Many feel ashamed for snapping at their kids or not being present for their partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
ERAN data shows that since the war began, 31% of calls were related to loneliness, 25% to emotional pain and depression and 20% to interpersonal issues like relationships, parenting and social difficulties. About 4% of calls involved reports of violence or sexual abuse.<\/p>\n
Economic hardship also featured in the findings: 3% of calls were related to employment and financial distress. Another 3% dealt with suicidal thoughts\u2014a topic that\u2019s become increasingly prominent following several tragic cases over the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery call reflects a wider circle of suffering,\u201d said Dr. Daniels. \u201cIn one call, a woman said there should be support for people affected by those who themselves were victims of trauma. That sentence has stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Widespread impact, especially among young adults<\/p>\n
Since the start of the war, ERAN has logged more than 500,000 calls via phone and online platforms. The highest volume came from young adults: 20% of callers were between the ages of 25 and 34 (over 100,000 distress calls), 12% were aged 18\u201324, and 8% were children and teens under 17. The lowest rate of calls came from adults over 75\u2014just 4% of the total.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe emotional reality of a prolonged war is deceptive,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cWe keep functioning but under chronic pressure that we\u2019ve started to see as normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that while early calls focused on trauma and anxiety, the nature of the distress has shifted. \u201cNow, more and more people are calling about depression, loneliness and relationship struggles. Many feel isolated in their pain and describe it as a pressure chamber.\u201d<\/p>\n
A volunteer army on the mental health front<\/p>\n
ERAN operates with the help of 1,800 trained volunteers across 13 branches in Israel, five in the U.S. and one in Australia. The organization also offers extensive online services that include active listening, risk assessment, crisis intervention and referrals to mental health professionals when needed.<\/p>\n
Nurit, a 66-year-old volunteer from central Israel, has been with ERAN for over three years. \u201cSometimes people call in total panic,\u201d she said. \u201cJust listening can help. They need someone empathetic who acknowledges their pain. We\u2019re here to help carry some of that emotional weight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel is now engaged in the longest war since its founding. \u201cThese 600 days aren\u2019t just a number,\u201d said ERAN CEO David Koren. \u201cThey\u2019ve added up to moments of fear, loss, uncertainty and ongoing exhaustion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Shiri Daniels, ERAN\u2019s national clinical director, described a growing phenomenon of \u201csurvivor\u2019s guilt\u201d among reservists. \u201cOne caller…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-139369","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114586870290440218","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}