• Stigmatization of mentally ill - dangerous, hopeless, weak, must be isolated, shame for family/ community

• Stigmatization of mental disorders - not a disease, not curable, runs in the family, sign of weakness


• Stigmatization of profession and practitioner - vicious, crazy, manipulative, corrupt


• Stigmatization of medications and methods - cruel, mandatory, addictive, dangerous, not effective


• Stigmatization of mental health facilities - prison, experiments, no way back

Challenges Of Ukrainian Stigma

• Personal Attitude Stronger than Public Stigma
  • The mental patient still carries a personal stigma and cultural stereotypes, which manifest in:
    1. Going to a wrong specialist to treat mental disorders (neuropathologists, psychics and hypnotists etc)
    2. Belief that alcohol cures everything
    3. Avoiding treatment and fighting alone

• Stigmatization of mental health professional more common than in other countries
  • Avoidance by the media and public
  • Stressing quality of care and old stereotypes
  • No clear professional, ethical and licensing regulations

Contributing Factors To Stigma in Ukraine

• Soviet past
  • Practice of mandatory treatment and isolation
  • Political use of Psychiatric Science
  • Outdated methods and medications
  • No private facilities with adequate care

• No social rehabilitation
  • Mental diagnosis is forever
  • No chance of reintegration
  • Social exclusion

• Ineffective Anti-Stigma efforts
  • No government and community support
  • Lack of funding and experience
  • No reliable research or comprehensive data on the subject

Road Ahead

• We have seen some improvements in combating Stigma over recent years, in Ukraine.
• Individual efforts and media involvement have been effective to a certain degree.
• Declared public and personal attitudes have improved significantly towards humanism, compassion and acceptance. But true attitudes, demonstrated in action are still dominated by Stigmatization.

• To dramatically change the situation, we need a planned, coordinated sustainable effort against Stigma in which European experience and partnership can be of the crucial value