How to Alter the Perception of Mental Health Care in Russia | Olga Kitaina | TED

For the past five years, I've been working as a psychologist in Russia, a country where mental health is stigmatized and people are often afraid to seek professional help. Right now, people in Ukraine are fighting for their lives. What is happening is devastating and traumatic, and everyone, including both Russians and Ukrainians, will need mental health support, but on different levels. No matter where in the world I'll be working from, I'm committed to helping people. Psychotherapy for me, has and will always be a force of understanding, change and peace. And now it is needed more than ever. Unfortunately, there is a lot of resistance to psychotherapy in Russia. First, for historical reasons. During the Soviet Union, psychiatry was often used as a political tool, and this is just a small part of the state attitudes toward people that deeply traumatized the society. Since then, Russia has seen major reforms in the psychiatric system, and there are a growing number of good specialists in the mental health industry. Yet problems remain.

As in many countries where mental health has been stigmatized, proper regulations for practicing psychologists have never been developed in Russia. There are no licensing procedures or any laws protecting clients from incompetence and fraud. There are a lot of scammers, people who simply took a three-month course, tarot card readers or astrologers who say they're professional psychologists. As a result, a lot of people don't know how to choose a professional who fits their profile or are even victimized by such unprofessional help. In the absence of regulation and interest by the state, I saw an opportunity. With my team, we created a platform with an assessment system for psychologists and the means to get people connected to the therapists they need, therapists they can trust. Through this assessment system, we help people overcome the risk of being harmed by professional help or falling into despair, of giving up hope they will ever feel better. We have based our assessment on a hypothesis backed up with research, saying that there are common factors that significantly contribute to psychotherapy effectiveness. This includes a variety of ways in which a therapist and the client create a special bond of trust and partnership. Unfortunately, in most psychotherapy training programs in Russia, not much attention is paid to those common factors. The bottom line, having a good diploma is not enough. Our psychologists undergo a test and a case study interview, including ethics questions, because the client's safety is the priority. The sad truth is that only around 15 percent of applicants pass our selective assessment screening. After this assessment, it is important to match a client with the right specialist. With our current matching algorithm, we've already helped more than 35,000 people receive safe psychotherapy. We also offer pro-bono sessions and free educational materials to support those who can't afford therapy. And I believe the number of people in need of mental health support will increase due to the PTSD, chronic stress, trauma of two years of the pandemic and all the global events we are experiencing. And this is the beginning

of a bigger mental health catastrophe we all need to face. We're trying our best, even though we work in a tough environment with the strong stigma and the cultural memory of psychiatry as an instrument of oppression. Our goal is to minimize the risk of people giving up on therapy because it's dangerous. On an individual level, it means a barrier for well-being, and unfolding potential. For the world, it means a loss in productivity and economy.

Just depression and anxiety disorder cause the global economy an estimated one trillion dollars each year in lost productivity. But I believe that the most important costs are the decrease in the quality of connections between people. The loss of self awareness. An increase in hatred and violence. Psychotherapy is not only about one individual finding help for their individual issues. When one of us is wounded, all of us share in that wound. Psychotherapy is a way to move forward from the burden of the past and trauma of the present by breaking cycles of hurt, by embracing the path of healing and self-knowledge. Because by knowing ourselves and seeking healing from our pain and trauma, we also become better human beings in our interconnected world, bringing a real hope for peace. Thank you. (Applause)