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How post-traumatic stress disorder is being treated in Mykolaiv with assistance from UNDP and its partners
Liudmyla Sheremet has headed the Mykolaiv Oblast Mental Health Centre for five years. Her working day begins at 8 a.m. and lasts until late in the evening. She manages to conduct meetings, resolve organizational issues, work with patients, and support them while the city suffers from shelling.
Liudmyla explained that their health care facility operates under difficult conditions: often without electricity, under intense shelling, and with a shortage of medical personnel.
“In the first months of the full-scale war, and perhaps throughout 2022, when I drove to work every morning, there wasn’t a single car on the streets. The city seemed so empty. But I knew that my staff and patients had not left the hospital and still needed help. I realized I had to do my job and hold on,” she said, explaining why she stayed in frontline Mykolaiv.
In 2022, a missile hit the medical centre, destroying two departments: the children’s rehabilitation and the narcology units. The people undergoing treatment there miraculously survived and were later offered an opportunity to evacuate to safer regions of the country.
Despite the destruction, the Mykolaiv Oblast Mental Health Centre has never stopped working. Liudmyla recalled how the hospital became a shelter for people without caregivers, providing them with not only housing but also medical assistance and support.
Previously, patients turned to the mental health centre for palliative care. Now, the director noted, perhaps the primary request is the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Increasingly, young people are seeking help. This motivates her to continually implement the latest treatment approaches to help patients overcome the consequences of the war.
Liudmyla explained that this technology allows patients to gradually immerse themselves in the traumatic events that led to their PTSD and relive them in a safe and calm environment accompanied by a therapist. During such a session, a person has to return to unpleasant memories, which is why not everyone dares to try it. The director concluded that 15 people in their facility have already undergone this therapy.
“A serviceman who witnessed the death of his comrades turned to us. He admitted that he couldn’t stop visualizing their deaths. After undergoing VR therapy, he felt better. We are very pleased with this result,” Liudmyla shared.
The training of local doctors was also an important part of this process. Through this partnership with UNDP, six specialists from the mental health centre not only received the equipment but also completed the relevant training.
Liudmyla Sheremet is convinced that this exposure therapy will be much needed in the future. The war in Ukraine continues, people are living through difficult times, and the need for help will only grow. Therefore, while the doctors do their work, it is incredibly valuable that they are supported and bolstered by such projects and initiatives.
Originally published at undpukraine.exposure.co