30 October 2015, 15:30
At present, the number of Ukrainian citizens suffering such disorders makes up 1.5 million, of which 254,000 are disabled as a result of that pathology.
In compliance with the data provided by the Health Ministry of Ukraine, in 2014 and January-June 2015, over 3,000 servicemen, who took part in the anti-terror operation in the east of Ukraine, underwent hospital psychiatric care, which made up 75.8% of the total number of mentally ill people. However, in compliance with the international experience and results of a number of researches, the number of participants of the armed conflict in the east of Ukraine, who would need qualified psychiatric care, is much more considerable and may make up 98%.
It was also mentioned that lately the number of psychological disorders among the population grew particularly due to negative happenings in the economy and tragic events in the east of Ukraine first of all as a result of posttraumatic stress disorders both in servicemen and civilians. Besides, in 2014, the disability as a result of different psychological disorders was diagnosed in over 10,000 persons.
The roundtable participants noted that the increase in indicators of the level of illness and disability of the population as a result of psychological and behavioral problems reflected insufficient efficiency of work of domestic psychiatric service, and pointed to the necessity for its reformation.
Besides, the participants of the roundtable discussed legislative acts elaborated under respective initiative of Chairperson of the Committee Olha Bohomolets touching amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On psychiatric care," which in her words would allow bringing Ukrainian legislation in this field in line with the European standards and considerably raise the level of social and legal protection of Ukrainian citizens having psychological and behavioral disorders. It is also envisioned to regulate a number of problems related to provision of psychiatric examination of a person without his/her informed consent or without consent of person's legal representative, and hospitalization of a person declared to be disabled to a mental health center under request or consent of a person's caretaker.
At the end of the roundtable, its participants passed the Resolution containing respective recommendations to state bodies as to further steps aimed at improvement of domestic psychiatric service.
The participants of the roundtable were people's deputies, representatives of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Health Ministry of Ukraine, other interested ministries and institutions, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, higher medical education establishments, the World Health Organization country office in Ukraine, and leading experts and scientists in the field of psychiatrics, members of the public and mass media organizations.