Return to civilian life: how veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war in Kyiv region are helped to restore their mental health
Kyiv • UNN
A Veteran's Hub was opened in Brovary to provide psychological support to war veterans. 66.8% of the surveyed veterans report having psychological problems, and 42.7% expect them after the war.
The full-scale Russian invasion has further exacerbated the problem of mental health of Ukrainians and brought it to the national level. This applies to almost all segments of the population and social groups without exception, but primarily to veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Statistics show that psychological work with veterans should be a key element in their return to civilian life, UNN reports.
Undoubtedly, the war will affect the mental health of a significant number of Ukrainians in one way or another. According to the National Institute for Strategic Studies, experts estimate that 40-50% of the population will need psychological help after the end of hostilities. In certain population groups, the number of such people will be as follows: among the military and veterans - almost two million, among the elderly - seven million, and about four million children and adolescents.
The projected need for mental health care in primary care is 27 million visits. Experts predict that about three to four million Ukrainians will have some kind of moderate or severe mental health disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the greatest threat to the human psyche, especially for current and former military personnel. According to statistics, up to 25% of veterans of various military operations worldwide suffer from PTSD.
According to a study by the Ukrainian Veterans' Fund "Portrait of a Veteran" conducted in 2023 among active military personnel and veterans of the Ukrainian-Russian war, 42.7% of respondents named psychological disorders among the difficulties they expect to face after the war. At the same time, 66.8% of the surveyed veterans already report existing psychological problems.
According to the Department of Health of the Ministry of Defense, post-traumatic stress disorder accounts for 29% of all stress-related neuralgic diseases suffered by the military. And, unfortunately, experts predict that this figure will only grow.
These data clearly confirm the fact that taking care of the mental health of veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war is a key element in their return to civilian life and a common task for the central government, local governments, and public organizations.
Visiting a psychologist is not yet a common practice in our society, and not everyone has the means to pay for a consultation. Therefore, various support centers for veterans, military personnel and their families should play an important role in this matter.
In particular, at the Veterans Hub, which opened a month ago in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, significant attention was immediately paid to restoring the mental health of veterans.
In a commentary to UNN, the head of the Brovary City Veterans Center project, Tetiana Hordiienko, noted that the military is not always ready to speak openly about their psychological problems.
"Veterans are not used to this, they are shy to come. Sometimes it happens that they even come to the hub with their wives just to meet us, because they are very interested in what we do.
During this time, 113 defenders of Ukraine have visited our hub. They also seek psychological help. A psychologist conducts individual conversations with them. The same assistance is provided to the children of veterans and those who died, because mental health is important not only for the veteran, but for the whole family. When someone is at war, the whole family is at war, and this affects everyone's moral and mental health,
We assume that the hub should not only resolve some issues related to government agencies, but also in terms of mental health support, hold various events not only for the military but also for their families, provide them with their own space for their initiatives," said Tetiana Hordiyenko .
In turn, according to the mayor of Brovary, Ihor Sapozhko, the community is aware of the importance of restoring the mental health of veterans and military personnel and providing other necessary assistance to these people.
Now in our community there are up to two thousand veterans, 278 of whom are people with disabilities. And no matter how much we want it, as long as the war continues, the number of these people will unfortunately grow. They need psychological and physical rehabilitation, some need help with work and housing. We face these issues here on the ground every day. And, of course, in order to solve them, we need to have relevant government programs in place and adequate funding. We, for our part, also allocate certain funds to support veterans and simplify the procedures for solving urgent issues. After all, these people defended our land with arms in their hands, and they should be given due respect,
