Health Ministry says contrary to reports, suicides have dropped since Oct. 7

The Health Ministry issues a statement denying a report that claimed suicides had increased in Israel since October 7, saying that the data actually shows the opposite.

The ministry says that “in contrast to the rumors and reports in the news and on social media, the figures do not show a rise but actually show a drop in suicides in Israel from the months of October to December in comparison to past years, including the period of COVID.” It did not provide the exact figures.

The monthly average seen in the past few months is lower than the overall monthly average, the ministry says, citing data collected by the Institute of Forensic Medicine. It notes that this phenomenon has been seen in both Israel and the world during “times of war and disasters, and is explained by social cohesion during times of emergency.”

Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, head of mental health services at the Health Ministry, says in a statement that the data showing no rise in suicides “does not minimize the difficulty we are all experiencing, but strengthens the understanding that our psyche knows how to muster forces for survival and coping.”