Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Medical Psychology Organized a Charity Event on the World Mental Health Day

Every year, Ukraine celebrates the World Mental Health Day on October 10. It is held to draw public attention to the importance of mental health, caring for it, and the need to overcome stigma.

The Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Medical Psychology of Ternopil National Medical University celebrates this holiday and organizes a number of events on the Day of Mental Health. On Sunday, October 10, 2021, the employees of the department, together with interns and students of curatorial groups, organized a charity event Mental Health Day that was supported by the administration and staff of Ternopil Regional Psychoneurological Hospital and the Centre for Educational Work and Cultural Development of TNMU.

The event was aimed at increasing public awareness of mental health problems and raising funds for purchase of the ADOS diagnostic scale, which is the “gold standard” for early diagnosis of autism, for the children’s ward of a psychoneurological hospital.

The teachers, interns and medical students of the department disseminated information about the day of mental health with brochures and information notes, talked about the most common mental disorders, ways to prevent and treat them, as well as diagnosis of depressive disorders, anxiety and stress among the population.

During the event, the interns delivered three lectures on “What is anxiety and how to deal with it?”, “Emotional intelligence” and “Professional burnout”.

For the youngest participants, the organizers arranged interactive games and art therapy.

During the event, a charity auction was held with the products made by patients of the psychoneurological hospital; Ternopil residents actively joined it. The funds raised (in the amount of UAH 6,277) were transferred to the children’s department of the Ternopil Regional Psychoneurological Hospital.

Many people believe that mental health is the absence of mental illness, but in reality, it is a general well-being against which a person is able to realize his potential and cope with daily stress.

Mental health depends primarily on the individual and their loved ones. The task of every person at present is to maintain their mental balance, be prepared for stressful situations, and, if necessary, seek help, rather than let the symptoms of overload, depression or emotional instability drift.

On such an emotional day, I would like to thank the doctors, who help people with mental problems to stay sane when they lose their temper. October 10 is a joint holiday when mental health is taken seriously. Any person can experience mental illness all levels; it doesn’t matter if you are a successful businessmen and poor worker, celebrity or normal people.

Let’s take care of our mental health, as well as support those from whom society turns away because of their problems.

We invite everyone to join the charity event, supporting children with autism spectrum disorders: