Addressing Mental Health in Ukraine at a Time of Social Instability

Kimberly Hook, Global Psychiatry Clinical Research Fellow, Dept. of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center/ Boston University School of Medicine/ Massachusetts General Hospital
Sergiy Bogdanov, Head of the Research Center for Mental Health at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Moderated by Emily Channell-Justice, TCUP Director

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Abstract

Attention to mental health needs and care access have been largely understudied in Ukraine. A variety of factors, such as the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, challenges faced by internally displaced persons and veterans, the HIV and substance use syndemic, and effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, suggest that these needs will only become more pronounced in the coming years.

During this presentation, Kimberly Hook and Sergiy Bogdanov will provide an overview of the current state of the literature regarding mental health in Ukraine and discuss the critical need to better integrate mental health care into ongoing reforms. They will specifically highlight examples of their projects that improve access to evidence-based mental health care in school and community settings, including in eastern Ukraine and in Kyiv, and will present their approach for improving the skills of existing mental health providers through in-service trainings. Finally, they will also reflect on current governmental policy specific to mental health care provision, as well as recent legislation, and discuss potential impacts for mental health care access. From these perspectives, they will suggest important next steps and opportunities to modernize Ukraine’s mental health care system, which will be critically important as Ukraine continues to navigate the effects of its recent history.

About the Speakers

Kimberly Hook is a licensed psychologist and an applied clinical researcher with methodological expertise in implementation science and mixed methods. Her interests cut across public health, behavioral health (specifically mood and substance use disorders), and global health. Her work focuses on increasing access to evidence-based mental health and substance use treatments, specifically through adapting and implementing psychological interventions for use in under-resourced settings. Examples of her recent research in Ukraine include an evaluation of needs for advanced training in mental health care provision among existing healthcare providers, an investigation of the effects of tuberculosis stigma on mental health outcomes, and a situational analysis of Ukraine’s current mental health landscape.

Sergiy Bogdanov is a psychologist and psychotherapist.  He received his PhD at Vienna Medical University and after returning to Ukraine established the Research Center for Mental Health at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy as response to increased public needs in efficient evidence-based mental health interventions. His work focuses on developing, testing, and implementing mental health and psychosocial interventions for conflict-affected populations (veterans, IDPs and their family members) at the community level. One such intervention is SAFE SPACE, a multi-layer psychosocial school-based program developed in collaboration with UNICEF and the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science and implemented in eastern oblasts of Ukraine. Led by Dr. Bogdanov, the Research Center is actively collaborating with various national and international organizations in reforming the mental health sector in Ukraine.

Moderator: Emily Channell-Justice, Director, Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University

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