Citation

Hino M, Kunii Y, Gerashchenko BI, Hamaie Y, Egawa S, Kuriyama S, Shevchuk OO, Korda MM, Venher OP, Tomita H. Ann. Glob. Health 2023; 89(1): e41.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.5334/aogh.4076

PMID

37304942

PMCID

PMC10253235

Abstract

Russian armed forces launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Civilian casualties continue to multiply. Over 15 million civilians have been displaced across Ukraine or abroad. Thus, the conflict threatens to become the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. Military attacks on houses and civilian installations are still ongoing in Ukraine. Transport routes have been disrupted, threatening the lives and livelihoods of many civilians. The humanitarian and psychological crises in areas close to and far from the combat zone had worsened during the winter of 2023, with repeated bombings of civilian infrastructure. Russian attacks had led to power and water shortages in many parts of Ukraine, resulting in frequent blackouts and posing a significant risk to nuclear power plant operations. Moreover, there are concerns about the use of chemical weapons and the possibility of intentional or accidental nuclear and radiological damage.

Thus, the current situation in Ukraine faces a serious, complex, and continuing CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives) disaster [1]. The mental health consequences of CBRNE disaster are more complex and severe than those experienced in natural disasters. Comprehensive assessment beforehand is even more crucial for mental health care to individuals affected by CBRNE disasters; however, under the ongoing CBRNE disasters, assessment methods are often limited. Although information on the present situation in Ukraine is limited, there are concerns about the worsening of mental health status [2, 3]. Hence, this report was formulated from a communication between former colleagues in Ukraine and Japan, on the assessment of the actual situation of the mental health services provision in Ukraine under the threat of CBRNE hazard posed by the 2022 Russian invasion.

The assessment items to summarize current mental health needs in Ukraine were created (Table 1), referring to the “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Setting (MHPSS)” [4] of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). Also, items to summarize mainly current mental health service resources including some changes before and after the invasion were created (Table 2), referring to the World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS) version.2.2 [5]. The mental health workers (co-authors) at Ternopil National Medical University (TNMU) accumulated information relevant to the assessment items. The ethics committee of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, approved this report...

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; mental health; *Mental Health; *Mental Health Services; CBRNE disaster; resilience and sustainability; Russia; Ukraine; volunteer activities