1195 – Psychiatry In Russia Today. Social Dimension

Abstract

Mental health is the fundamentals of intellectual, creative, productive and defense capability of the nation. According to the Russian health ministry evaluation about 15-20% of population need mental health care services and only about 5-5.5% really get it.

Psychiatry today can be defined as stigmatized, suffering from social and professional isolation medical discipline. We have to take it seriously the strong influence of psychiatric mythology, stigmatization and self-stigmatization are the other parts of social and social-psychiatric reality, defining the patient decision to cooperate with psychiatrists. The survey made by Russian Psychiatric Association revealed that majority of professionals as well as mental health care consumers are not satisfied with mental health care system in Russia today.

Reorganization of social consciousness is one of the main challenges for psychiatry today. The following steps have to be done. Rebuilding of the mental health care system on the voluntary principle, with legislative definition of the involuntary hospitalization in the patient interests. Systematic educative work is necessary. The discrepancy between the defined by mythology expectations and psychiatric reality has to be overcome in the work with patients and their relatives.

Mandatory is not only radical restricting of the mental hospital functioning, but also development of various with differentiated services outpatient mental health care facilities, including the organization of the so-called outer dispensaries mental health services in general medicine institutions. It is necessary to develop and widen psychotherapeutic and social services, providing the mental health services at the different stages of patient treatment and observation.