From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Data shows demand for psychiatric medications has surged since Oct. 7
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
The demand for prescription and over-the-counter psychiatric medications and sedatives has jumped by an average of 20-30 percent in the month since the ongoing war began with the murderous mass attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
The rise is attributed to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other common symptoms of the acute stage of trauma that so many Israelis are currently experiencing.
The Meuhedet health maintenance organization reports a 30% increase in prescription and non-prescription psychiatric drugs in October as compared to the summer months. The Maccabi HMO reports a 90% increase in the purchase of non-prescription sedatives and sleeping aids and an increase of 20% in the purchase of pain relievers among its members. Maccabi members also purchased 230% more nutritional supplements that are purported to result in a calming effect.
Pharmacists and mental health professionals attribute the spike in part to an increase in the number of people newly seeking psychiatric treatment (Maccabi alone handled 3,000 calls to its specially set up emotional hotline in October).
In addition, individuals already on medications are trying to stock up for fear that supplies will run short. Pharmacists report that people are filling prescriptions for two or three months rather than the usual one. At this point, there are no reports that there are any supply shortages — but this could change as the war continues.
The director of mental health services at the Health Ministry, Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, emphasizes the importance of approaching the current situation as a mental health crisis, rather than a psychiatric one. Accordingly, people in distress should be treated using a variety of non-pharmacological methodologies before resorting to prescription medications.
