Impact of war on mental health

IMPACT OF WAR ON MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person can cope with stress, work productively, and contribute to their community.  Nowadays, because of the war, all these components of mental health are under the influence of severe traumatic factors.

The consequences of the war for Ukraine are most often evaluated through the prism of economic losses, destruction of infrastructure and the number of dead.  But war also affects the health of the citizens - it isn’t only about obvious risks such as contusions and injuries, but also about long-term consequences.  According to research and the bitter experience of other countries affected by armed conflicts: at least one in five people will have negative mental health consequences, and one in ten will experience these consequences at the level of moderate or severe illness.

The Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko said: “Even those who were able to survive the first months of the war will suffer mental exhaustion, because getting used to being constantly in war conditions can also have a negative impact on mental health” [1].

To prevent serious and long-term complications, it is extremely important to provide psychological support to all who need it now. According to the psychologists Yulia Yavorska and Roksolyana Vovk, the war had a noticeable impact on the psycho-emotional state of people - they observe an increase in requests for consultations related to anxiety and depressive states, uncontrolled aggression or even suicidal thoughts, accompanied by the experience of loss of: loved ones, home, identity [2].

 The stress disorder of people during the war is a healthy reaction of the psyche to unhealthy circumstances.

There are three main defense responses to stress: fight, run, or freeze.  Some people had a “run” reaction - and they immigrated, while some people had a “fight” reaction - that's why a lot of Ukrainians turned to the Military Commissariat to defend their country.  Some people had a “freeze” reaction and hid in their homes in the hope that it would all end soon.

War affects the psyche not only of adults, but also of children.  Apparently, all Ukrainian parents today are thinking about how everything that their child sees, hears and experiences during this war will affect his future life.  On the one hand, stress can be really destructive.  On the other hand, psychologists suggest not to despair because of a “stolen” childhood.  Parental love and awareness of how to act can create a favorable atmosphere that will be stronger than all the horrors of war.  In order to preserve health, it’s necessary to help the child to live through a painful experience, to let go of all fear, anger, sadness and resentment.  But it’s important to do it in a way that is safe for the child and his environment.