Taking care of mental health should become a daily habit for Ukrainians. The communication campaign launched as part of the All-Ukrainian mental health program initiated by First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska is intended to be a guide on this path.
The purpose of the campaign is to promote the formation of a culture of caring for mental health in society, to provide understanding and to show tools that will help Ukrainians take care of their inner state.
"Against the background of daily alarming news, missile attacks, human grief and trouble, it doesn’t seem appropriate to ask yourself “How are you?”. But in fact, psychological well-being and understanding of what is happening in our inner world is more timely than ever," the President's wife said.
According to sociological studies, more than 90% of Ukrainians had at least one of the symptoms of an anxiety disorder, and 57% are at risk of developing mental disorders. Ukrainians are not in the habit of consulting a specialist: 31% of citizens do not consider their problems sufficient for this. Now this is the main barrier to seeking psychological help.
Just like the ability to adapt, function and even develop during the war, Ukraine's prospects for post-war recovery largely depend on the level of emotional solidarity of citizens and the culture of mental health care. Psychological problems grow imperceptibly, affect all areas of life and reduce the ability to face challenges.
"The battle with pain, past traumatic experience is an invisible front where we also have to win. The weapon in this battle is daily care for mental health, which is an inseparable whole with physical health," Olena Zelenska added.
As part of the campaign, a special page was created: http://howareu.com (howareu_program), where contacts, links, tips, products, techniques and methods are offered to help take care of mental health – your own and the people around you.
Reference. The All-Ukrainian mental health program "How are you?", initiated by Olena Zelenska, aims to help Ukrainians find a source of strength. The internal source, in oneself, at the level of awareness and recognition of one's mental state and at least an approximate assessment of the degree of its crisis. Taking care of mental health should become a common responsibility of everyone. It is also necessary to create a system of services that will be able to support people by various means and effective mechanisms when they cannot cope themselves.
The development and implementation of the All-Ukrainian mental health program is coordinated by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The World Health Organization is an expert partner, the executive partner is Bezbariernist NGO. The site for development and decision-making is the Interdepartmental Coordination Council under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The communication campaign is implemented with the support of the USAID.