Mental Health

A celebration of giving in Jerusalem

The President and First Lady Join Arava Doron’s Bat Mitzvah Initiative

President and First Lady join Bat Mitzvah initiative
Studies show that simple petting of a dog or a cat affects stress hormones and returns the body to a calmer state

The surprising way to calm the body during sirens

Many people have been at home for more than three weeks, which raises quite a few health and mental challenges

This is how you will maintain your physical and mental health during the war

Mental overload

We are all tired now, but these people are experiencing exhausting mental overload


Supporting Israel’s soldiers: Alon Center helps reservists rebuild their lives

The Alon Center helps Israeli reservists navigate life after combat by providing support for the soldiers and their families.

Alon center team (from L): Co-directors Adi Zarka Schwartz and Doron Shabti with IDF educator and Home Front support officer Sher Roval, in Tel Aviv.

Embrace the wins: When life turns upside down, focus on what you can control

'I am grateful, as always, to all of my readers and ask everyone to include my three-year-old grandson Yishai ben Shayna Miriam in your prayers. Together we all can and will make a difference.'

Illustrative photo.

For the first time in Israel: Advanced treatment for OCD that does not respond to medication

An innovative surgical technique for patients with severe, treatment-resistant OCD has been tried for the first time in Israel at Rambam Hospital. It opens a new therapeutic option in extreme cases.

During the procedure, electrodes are inserted into deep areas of the brain and connected to a subcutaneous electrical pacemaker

The psychology of knowing and how we decide when to ignore information

Sometimes we avoid information, and sometimes we deliberately seek painful information. Both avoiding useful and seeking painful information help manage emotional readiness and needs.

PROF. YANIV SHANI

Knesset bill seeks military burial for Israelis whose suicide tied to IDF service

Under the proposal, discharged soldiers and reservists who took their own lives as a result of combat stress or other psychological harm incurred during service would be eligible for military burial.

IDF soldiers prepare for Remembrance Day at the graves of fallen soldiers at the Har Herzl military cemetery, April 23, 2023.

Health index 2025: 39% of IDF soldiers report urgent need for mental health care

Among IDF soldiers, the picture is even more severe, with 39% reporting a need for mental health support, 26% expressing concern about depression, and 48% reporting sleep disturbances.

IDF soldiers demolish the home of terrorist Jamil Samara in Burkin, October 22, 2025.

Mentally ill man steals car with infant in back seat at Hadera hospital, baby returned unharmed

Security alerted police, who arrived quickly, arrested the suspect, and returned the infant to the family unharmed.

The Hillel Yaffe hospital in Hadera.

Why spending time with grandchildren can ease war trauma for Israel's seniors

For Israelis over 60, time with grandchildren is more than joy; it’s healing, easing war stress, loneliness, and emotional scars.

 An illustrative image of grandparents playing with their grandchildren.

Avoiding information can be coping strategy for threatening situations, study finds

“Our decisions about information are not only functional but often emotional,” the researchers wrote.

A stressed businesswoman is sitting at her desk, covering her face with her hands, overwhelmed by work. She is in an office setting with a laptop and paperwork around her, indicating high pressure.

ARCCI urges appeal in Kachura case after nurse sentenced to seven years for death of teen patient

The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel argued that the verdict and sentence fail to reflect a prolonged pattern of exploitation rooted in power imbalances between caregiver and patient.

Demonstrators and family members protest against Edward Kachura, who is accused of murdering 17-year-old Yael Melnik outside his court hearing at the Haifa District Court on February 7, 2023.