First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in a working meeting with regional teams that are implementing the National Mental Health Program "How Are You?" in communities.
The participants included managers from the medical and social sectors, psychologists and psychotherapists, NGO project leaders, teachers, and doctors from 122 territorial communities across 20 regions of the country.
Olena Zelenska highlighted the successful adoption of the best international practices in providing mental health support while also emphasizing the uniqueness of the Ukrainian situation.
"Although there are many effective methods, and we are actively adopting them, none can fully address all our challenges. No progressive country is going through what we are. The program team understood that while incorporating the best from around the world, the program needs to be unique and Ukrainian," the First Lady said.
She also focused on a distinctly Ukrainian approach that has been developed within the initiative.
"This approach involves moving not from a diagnosis but from the person's state. In other words, to start helping as early as possible before the traumatic experience develops into a disorder. This means that addressing the issue can begin even outside a psychologist's or psychotherapist's office, such as in a conversation with a family doctor or a consultant at a Resilience Center," Olena Zelenska noted.
According to the First Lady, this is why changes must take place in communities as well.
During the meeting, participants noted that nearly 100,000 medical professionals have been trained under the WHO's mhGAP program, 350,000 services have been provided in Resilience Centers, 209,000 educators have completed training on recognizing changes in students' mental states, and 739 employers have implemented mental health support policies.
The development and implementation of the National Mental Health Program, initiated by Olena Zelenska, is supported by the Coordination Center for Mental Health under the Cabinet of Ministers with expert support from the WHO.