Mental health challenges are epidemic of our times. Although the burden and challenges of mental ill health are not new, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vast and concerning extent of poor mental health among the world population. Barriers such as insufficient resources, limited accessibility and low mental health literacy, compounded by stigma, severely limit timely and effective help for all those experiencing moderate to severe mental health challenges. Moreover, a significant shortage of mental health professionals restricts access to services when needed. Mental illnesses significantly affect individuals’ emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and relationships. They are associated with a higher likelihood of physical illnesses, such as cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, as well as weaker immune systems. Unhealthy lifestyle choices, including smoking and excessive alcohol use, often exacerbate these conditions. The socioeconomic impact of mental ill health is also profound. People with mental health conditions experience higher unemployment rates, poorer educational outcomes, and increased poverty—factors that both stem from and contribute to worsening mental health. In countries with rapidly closing civic spaces, or at the edge of developing collective trauma, the need for large-scale solutions that benefit the overall population is of utmost imprtance. At FGIP, we tackle these challenges by brainstorming, analysing and introducing new care model better adapted to our times.
In order to allow these groups to safely exercise their rights, the FGIP is currently incubating the first online psychological aid platform in Eastern and Central Europe, accessible from everywhere, for Ukrainian and Russian speakers.
Aimed in particular to support refugees, internally displaced persons and human rights activists from Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, both in- and outside their respective national borders, these platforms combine online self-help programs with online therapeutic consultations, clear advise to the general population on social media, awareness raising amongst the affected communities against the widespread stigma of those who receive mental health care to overcome the trauma of war, torture, and ill-treatment as well as training material for mental health professionals on trauma-informed rehabilitation.
The online psychological aid program has been conceived together with our member organizations in Georgia for quick replication in other contexts, countries and languages.
In order to support national initiatives to sustain and thrive, the FGIP organizes training programs for mental health care professionals on the intersection of human rights and mental health. Where access to rehabilitation is inaccessible due to infrastructure, such as in Sri Lanka, the FGIP supports the establishment of mobile teams that support those affected by mental health challenges in the communities they live in. At least once per year, the FGIP facilitates an exchange of experiences amongst mental health and human rights actors to enable mutual learning and support.
Many of our initiatives from the past are still actively influencing the rehabilitation sector today, independently from FGIP support: Dzerelo, for example, that had been one of the first family organizations that was set up with our support, and has become today the largest NGO in Ukraine in the field of intellectual disability. For over a decade, the FGIP had also run a training program for thousands of young mental health care professionals on ethics and human rights in mental health, many of those are today active defenders of human rights in mental health in influential positions.
