Ask yourself: “How are you?” on World Mental Health Day
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The war presented enormous challenges to Ukrainian men and women. Participation in battles, injuries, loss of loved ones, housing, uncertainty, divorce or separation. Someone witnessed murders and destruction, someone survived violence, someone survived the occupation.
The question “How are you?” ceased to be purely a question. We imagine how loved ones feel, but we repeat these words rather to say: “I’m thinking about you”, “your life is important to me”, “I really want to know how you are – tell me, speak up”. “How are you?” became a symbol of care and concern.
This question is worth asking yourself. And answer him honestly. Once again – absolutely honestly! After all, each of us (at least, I am sure) answered to ourselves: “But everything is normal… I know that there are those who have it worse… you can’t show weakness.” And this is at the moment when I actually forgot, when I slept normally. You are easily annoyed. You switch to shouting in communication. You drink coffee cup after cup, but the fatigue does not go away.
These are the “alarm bells” that everyone should pay attention to in time. This, at least, will make it possible to detect the first manifestations of stress, which can be dealt with even before exhaustion has caught up. On your own or with the help of a mental health professional.
Unfortunately, in our society, the word “psychologist” or “psychiatrist” becomes another stress factor that triggers another round of panic. After all, there is still a stigma regarding mental health in Ukraine. They don’t talk about it even with loved ones. They are afraid to think about it. It’s a shame. Terrible. “Trauma” during the Soviet occupation: a mental problem is a sentence for a person and the whole family, “abnormality”. It shouldn’t be like that.
Stress, anxious thoughts, panic, a feeling of helplessness when “hands down”, indifference to important matters, sleep disturbances are natural reactions to what is happening, but you can reduce their intensity and impact on health, and you can recover faster if you know how to take care of mental health.
The issue of mental health has long needed rethinking and changes. The topic finally reached the all-Ukrainian level thanks to the initiative of the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska to create an all-Ukrainian mental health program.
The development and implementation of the program is coordinated by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, involving Ukrainian and international specialists. The initiative is implemented with the support of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, USAID and other partners.
“It’s okay not to be okay.” Realizing that something is wrong is the first step to getting help.
All-Ukrainian mental health program “Ty yak” legitimizes the topic of mental health in our infospace and brings help closer to Ukrainians. On the website of the program, you will find educational materials, including a lexicon for a more accurate description of your own emotions and states: it is really valuable to learn that uncertainty scares and paralyzes us, or that we should first take care of ourselves (no, it is not shameful and not selfish) – and already then there will be a resource to help others. There is a first-aid kit for psychological first aid – for yourself and your child – with calming exercises and tips for resilience. Research shows that the vast majority of mental health disorders can be prevented by self-help.
The site also contains contacts of governmental and non-governmental organizations and initiatives that provide professional help in the field of mental health: offline or remotely, free of charge, on preferential terms and for money. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
Another part of the program is the training of family doctors, pediatricians, therapists and nurses to manage patients with the most common mental disorders already at the primary level of medical care according to the WHO mhGAP program. Health workers are learning to work with patients with, for example, depression, substance use disorders, and UNICEF-supported training on the mhGAP module on mental and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents.
Training according to the program is the choice of medical professionals, but it is profitable. Certified specialists expand the range of services provided by their institution, and the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSHU) pays for it.
The question “How are you?” is a friendly reminder that one should respect one’s condition, one’s needs, one’s limits of possibilities and act accordingly, seek and not refuse help. It is extremely important for us to keep order. That’s how we will win.
Victor Lyashko, Minister of Health, especially for UP. Life
Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view.
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