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Psychiatric Help Goto page 1, 2  Next

Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Russian Contexts, Myths and Truths

Author	Message
cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 3:22 am    Post subject: Psychiatric Help OKAY , while I am fairly certain that there are a number of WTR posters here who can and could benefit from some good psychiatric services, in all seriousness, please enlighten me about mental health care and services in Russia. People with serious psychiatric problems are often extremely stigamatized in society. They are often viewed and treated like criminals and worse. Psychiatric medicine has improved the lives of so many persons with mental illnesses in US and fortunately policies have changed and these people no longer have to spend their lives in horrible institutions where they truly get no help. This might seem like an off the wall topic to many here since I am aware that WTR is driven laregly by people more available top travel.. But none the less, I think this forum is capable of thinking more deeply about not just travel and politics but also human experiences that affect all of us, including but not limited to mentally ill persons.
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Jutrzenkapolska VIP Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 534	Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 6:48 am    Post subject: I'm not sure they are.All topics here come back to the same two things: politics and sex. Look at how many people here respond to those vs. how many are willing to talk about their grandparents, social services or raising children, in other words your posts
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MrSpice Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3431	Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 5:10 pm    Post subject: This is an interesting question, since Americans' practise of going to a shrink is mocked and considered laughable in Russia. Many Russian immigrants who came to America long time ago still have the same attitude even after years living in the US. One thing to note, though: people in Russia in general form closer friendships and overall, most Russians live in large cities where people oftet live in large apartment buildings. It's common for people from the floor to know each other and even maintain close friendships with their neighbors. That makes it easier for people not to utilize the help of psychiatrist when they need to talk to someone. Except for New York, and maybe place like Cambridge or Downtown San Francisco, America is mostly suburban. People move from place to place often - the population is very mobile. People tend to live in private houses and rarely have what they can call "close friends". I live in a Russian neighborhood in Brooklyn, but even here in my apartment building, I hardly know anyone who lives on my floor or onj other floors. Having said that, I feel that the use of phsychological help is extreme in both countries - in America is being overused while in Russia, the concept of psychological help is almost non-existent.
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 5:20 pm    Post subject: I admit that I am more interested in family, education, health care, recreation, arts etc. than discussing politics or sex. Though for sure politics and sex factor into those topics as well. I do think you learn alot about culture by gaining a better understanding of how people live their lives and care for their people. Psychiatric illness is a common disability and many people have been affected by it with family members, friends, neighbors or themselves. People often don't talk about it because it is so stigmatized. I remember years ago when a vice presidential candidate's past depression was made public, requiring treatment years back, he was forced to drop out of the race. In any case, like all threads, those who wish to get involved do. It's fine with me if people aren't interested in this topic but I hope that some might be, aside from you and me Polska.
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Jutrzenkapolska VIP Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 534	Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 12:02 am    Post subject: You are right about the stigma attached to being in therapy. If I was seeing a pychiatrist I'd tell no one. Personal relationships are closer in Eastern Europe then in the States.My teacher from Polish school waxes sentimental about what wonderful friends she had as a teenager, how they were as close as family, how there was nothing she couldn't tell her friends, the tears and laughter they shared and so on.And then how she sees that we teenagers in the States don't have that and how she pities us because we might have better clothes, more opportunities, more wealth, more gadgets and better homes but we don't have other people and better friends. .So changing times (the 60 vs the 00s) are a factor, not only culture and geography. But you know what, we do have more opportunities, better homes, more money and more luxury if we don't have better personal relationships. She might have had great, intimate friendships but she also had to drink whale oil for lack of nutrition, had trouble paying for college and had to bathe in the same water as her sister.So.It's something for something.Nothing in life is free. Last edited by Jutrzenkapolska on Thu May 19, 2005 3:23 am; edited 1 time in total
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rodionx Frequent Guest Joined: 31 Jul 2004 Posts: 19	Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 1:06 am    Post subject: I found Russians in general to be quite comfortable in their own skin, so to speak. I think a lot of it has to do, as Mr. Spice suggests, with the fact that their society is more communal. People have to rely on their family, friends, and neighbours a lot more than people in the West do. A psychologist might say that the average Russian has a good support network. Also, Russians are more expressive than westerners, and more apt to accept whatever fate deals them. When they have money, they'll spend it like there is no tomorrow. And when things go badly, they'll take it on the chin and won't try to pretend that things are going well. Here in the West (especially the English-speaking part), we tend to worry about the future excessively, and at the same time try to put a happy face on things. It's psychologically unhealthy.
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 2:13 am    Post subject: You all have made interesting comments here. Polska, I can understand what you said about never disclosing if you saw a mental health professional. I don't however see this as a sign of weakness. In fact it is the people who don't seek help from family, friends or professionals that are the most troubled. I do agree with you guys that so called psychiatrists and other psychiatric professionals are visited by people who do not feel they can talk to their family, friends colleagues, neighbors etc. This is very sad. Many countries of course still have more communal living and genuine and sincere expectations to help each other. Russia is one of these countries of course. At the other extreme there are countries like US which promote individualism. It is so unnatural that people even those who do not have psychiatric or other problems are expected to some degree to face their burden alone. I am sure that this contributes to stress, anxiety and depression. Still, there are people all over the world who have chemical imbalances and organic disorders, for example bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. As far as I know, medication is the treatment of choice for such conditions. And many of these persons do not like taking their medications due to awful side effects.
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Jutrzenkapolska VIP Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 534	Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 3:35 am    Post subject: Yeah, someone i know says going to a pyshologist is a sign that you are a loser, have no one to talk to and you are such a loser to the extent you have to pay someone to listen to you, omg, i can blabber about myself to my friend for free. Well, what if you really can't get any support from your family.What if people do leave you to face your problems alone.What if you are not one of those lucky enough to find good friends.Or what if your family and friends, try as they might, are unable to help you. BTW, there have gotta be lonely people in Russia, as they are present all over the world.
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Varangian Frequent Guest Joined: 04 Apr 2005 Posts: 21 Location: Toronto, Canada	Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 7:42 am    Post subject: Soviet Psychiatry No one has yet mentioned that in Soviet times, dissidents were often sent to psychiatric institutions, as an alternative to labour camps. Perhaps this abuse of psychiatry still has an affect on Russians' current attitudes toward mental illness.
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e VIP Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 654	Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 12:13 am    Post subject: This article should sufficiently answer the question of this thread: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3026648.stm Quote: Russia's mental health revolution Attitudes to mental illness are changing in Russia Doctors in Russia are spearheading a revolution in the way patients with mental illnesses are treated. In the days of communism, people who were diagnosed as mentally ill were locked up in psychiatric hospitals and denied contact with the outside world. Some people were classed as mentally ill because their political views did not tally with those inside the Kremlin. Psychiatrists were even banned from diagnosing some conditions, such as drug addiction, because they were politically inconvenient. It was once the official view that drug addiction simply did not exist in the Soviet Union. Health reforms Today, the situation is much different A law passed in January 1993 protected the rights of mentally ill patients for the first time. The Russian character has a tendency to develop depression Dr Vadim Gourn, Peveralsk Psychiatric Hospital A series of reforms have seen the focus of psychiatric care change. Sprawling, stark asylums are being replaced with modern hospitals, with patients allowed to live in the community as much as possible. "Russian psychiatry was very politicised in the past," says Dr Sergei Kosiakov, who runs the Peveralsk Psychiatric Hospital outside Yekaterinburg in the Urals. "But now, it's no longer a political tool. It's becoming more open and more accessible to the community." Rates of mental illness are high in Russia. Doctors believe decades of communist rule have played their part. "The Russian character has a tendency to develop depression," says Dr Vadim Gourn, who runs the adult outpatient at Peveralsk Psychiatric Hospital. "There's a strong feeling of repression. Feelings of guilt and shame play a big role. "For over 70 years after the great socialist revolution, we've been developing these feelings of shame and guilt. "There have always been so many restrictions - you mustn't do this, mustn't do that; you're told this at home, at school and at work - so whenever one has the opportunity to act freely this creates a kind of conflict inside and you immediately start to feel this guilt and shame." There has been a reform process across the Russian Federation Dr Anna Pershanov, Russian Ministry of Health In common with many other countries across the world, mental illness is stigmatised in Russia. "The majority of families we know are afraid to tell anyone about their problems at work, even to their relatives," says Nelli Levina, who helps run a patient support group in Yekaterinburg. "There is some kind of shame if you have someone ill in your family." Dr Anna Pershanova works for the Russian Ministry of Health. She is leading the reform of mental health services in Yekaterinburg. "There has been a reform process across the Russian Federation and our focus in this region is now the creation of outpatient psychiatric clinics," she says. "At the same time, we have been reducing the number of beds at the psychiatric hospitals. "On the one hand, this is done to improve in-patient care but also to allow us to concentrate on providing better after-care for the patients who are discharged from the hospital." Government funding is, of course, central to these reforms. Money is in short supply. "It is a problem across Russia," says Dr Pershanova. "We have no money but we will find it. We are optimistic about the future." This story is featured in the radio programme Health Matters on the BBC World Service.
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 4:33 am    Post subject: E, I appreciate your reference. It is good to know that psychiatric reform is alive and well in Russia. But don't be so naive or self assured that this referenced info. answers my question sufficiently. This issue is not simple by any means. In fact I have not heard from any Russians who may have personal experience in dealing with family members, friends, etc. who have mental health problems. I have no clue how the health system in Russia treats people with psychiatric problems. In the US, anti-depression, anxiety and psychotrophic medications go a long way to reduce symptoms of mental illness. There are also community day group organizations that strive to provide a sense of familiarity, respect and community for people. However there are of course people with these problems who don't comply with medication, seek support etc. They are therefore on the streets and homeless. I know homelessness is an international problem. Sure, there are many reasons and situations that perpetuate homelessness. In this thread I am really more interested in persons with psychiatric disabilities. And trust me, anyone here who does not think this problem can touch your life on a personal, family or social level, is fool hearted.
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rodionx Frequent Guest Joined: 31 Jul 2004 Posts: 19	Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 7:42 am    Post subject: Quote: "The Russian character has a tendency to develop depression," says Dr Vadim Gourn, who runs the adult outpatient at Peveralsk Psychiatric Hospital. "There's a strong feeling of repression. Feelings of guilt and shame play a big role. I hope American-style psychiatry doesn't penetrate Russia to the point that its aspiring Raskolnikovs are diagnosed with depression. The nation's landladies would benefit, certainly, but at the price of high literary drama.
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Jutrzenkapolska VIP Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 534	Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:42 am    Post subject: So you'd like to suffer from untreated clinical depression?
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rodionx Frequent Guest Joined: 31 Jul 2004 Posts: 19	Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 5:49 am    Post subject: No, but I want to read about it. If every moody, tormented "underground man" were on Prozac, then art and literature would suffer. Good artists tend to be messed up.
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cyndy22 Lounge Wizard Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1076 Location: massachusetts	Posted: Sun May 22, 2005 6:30 pm    Post subject: There is some truth to many writers, artists, composers etc. who seem to suffer from psychiatric problems, Van Gogh comes to mind. Creative people by nature live more on the edge and extremes. Even if they are not "crazy", many are quite eccentric such as for example Glenn Gould. Many artists also have been alcoholics like Hemingway, who ended up killing himself. Anti-depressant medications as well as other psychiatric drugs that enable people to function in society I think are one of science's major miracles over the last couple decades. Polska is right, there is no need for people to suffer the effects of clinical depression and its debilitating effects. I have to think that great artists would still create masterpieces even if they took prozac. The big problem with pharmaceudicals is that it has become a huge worldwide business. There is a pill for every and anything! I can't say I agree with that.
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