“There were very nice fireworks for July 14, but we only endured that for a minute with my daughter, it reminded us of the bombs.” Like many other Ukrainian refugees, Oleksandra Zakrasnianaa psychologist in kyiv a few months ago, before being welcomed in the region of Valence (Drôme), still bears the psychological weight of the war in Ukraine. “Almost all Ukrainians can’t stand the sound of explosions anymore”she says.
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Six months after the start of the conflict, while some refugees who arrived in France have regained some form of balance, all of them continue to experience Russia’s attack in their country as if they were still there. And, despite the passage of time, the impact of the conflict on their mental health remains damaging.
For example, the story of this woman, which could be that of many Ukrainian women. Arriving in France in April, after fleeing kyiv, she does not speak French. Above all, she does not have a driver’s license. A problem, because if her daughter is enrolled in school, the establishment is located an hour away and the bus does not pass every day. Away from everything, little by little, the woman loses her footing in front of the administrative procedures. His desire to return to his country at war takes over. “That’s when she started having panic attacks, constantly crying and seeing everything black”, describes Vitalina Ustenko. The psychologist, head of the Ukrainian association Psychologists Without Borders and herself a refugee in France, claims to have heard many similar stories from refugee patients who seek her help.
Depression, guilt, panic attacks… The symptoms felt by these emergency exiles are numerous. “This uprooting can be expressed first by headaches, painexplains to franceinfo Olena Vyshnevska, Ukrainian psychologist and refugee in Carcassonne (Aude). At the beginning, we feel strong emotional swings. One minute you’re crying and the next you’re laughing… Added to this are sleep problems and anxiety. It can lead to depression.”
The psychological impact is even heavier for those who have left family “or a lover” in the country, underlines Olga Vasylchenko, psychologist and university professor, refugee in Toulouse. “It’s particularly difficult for teenagers. The little ones adapt, but they want to go back”she observes.
This finding is far from surprising. Although it is too early to assess the consequences of the war on the mental health of Ukrainians, many studies have already shown that refugees are more at risk of suffering psychological suffering than the general population. Thus, the University of the Red Cross in Stockholm (Sweden) showed in 2017 that 40% of Syrian refugees who arrived in the country between 2011 and 2013 suffered from depression. And that nearly 30% were victims of post-traumatic stress syndrome, an extreme anxiety disorder experienced after a traumatic event, such as a bombing or the loss of a loved one. Especially since, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), 30% of Ukrainians were already suffering from psychological disorders before the start of the offensive by the Kremlin troops. In question, in particular, the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014.
The constant link with Ukraine, via online media, social networks and messages from relatives back home, does not help matters. “We are all witnesses of this war with the internet. We are all traumatized”, emphasizes Olena Vyshnevska. A situation that sometimes makes those who fled feel guilty.
“Most of the refugees feel guilt because they didn’t stay, and didn’t help the army. They think that by leaving Ukraine, they are like an enemy, a deserter.”
Olena Vyshnevska, Ukrainian psychologistat franceinfo
Result, many “don’t allow themselves to be happy, to feel joy, even just drinking coffee” and “do not take care of themselves by refusing to live a normal life”.
How can these needs be taken care of in France, when many refugees do not speak the local language? All over France, volunteers are getting organized. In some municipalities, support associations have set up psychological support for new arrivals. Facebook groups, led by volunteers, French or Ukrainian, also allow refugees to get in touch with psychologists based in France.
“I help two to three people a week, mostly online, although I would like to set up a support group where I live”, advances Olena Vyshnevska, trained in conflict mediation. The one that provides “set up art therapy, in Montpellier, for children with shrinks”explains that he decided to help other Ukrainians for “do something [ses] knowledge”. Vitalina Ustenko delivers the same speech.
“I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. All Ukrainian citizens need help, no matter where they are. This is how I try to be useful.”
Vitalina Ustenko, head of the Ukrainian association Psychologists Without Bordersat franceinfo
At the same time, the State is also developing initiatives aimed at improving the mental health of these refugees. In a decree published on March 10, the government recalled that “the health care of these displaced persons requires (…) particular attention” and asked the “regional health agencies” to mobilize “appropriate support systems, particularly in terms of mental health”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has thus set up a dedicated listening number “for any help” related to this crisis, “including psychological support”. A guide has also been published on the subject by the Ministry of Health, and the medico-psychological emergency cells have been called upon in each department, reports Le Figaro (article reserved for subscribers).
But, according to those concerned, the effort remains insufficient to help the some 89,000 Ukrainian refugees present in the territory. “France does not have a well-established support network for immigrants”, regrets Vitalina Ustenko. She says she did not get a response after offering to work with several French institutions. Especially, in case of depression, “it is difficult to find a psychiatrist who speaks Ukrainian” and “impossible to buy medicine with a Ukrainian prescription”what “adds difficulty”she says.
Paris could draw inspiration from other European countries, continues Vitalina Ustenko, so “that in Germany, Poland, Portugal or Norway, we have many examples of networks of support centers for Ukrainians which are set up“. Initiatives “which have the advantage of giving work to refugees specialized in this sector”she concludes.
The European Union has also released 9 million euros for the mental health of people fleeing Ukraine last April. But the sum is not enough, as the needs of the 5 million refugees hosted in the EU are great and the support needs spread over the long term.. “The real consequences on our mental health, we will only really know them when the conflict is over“, says Oleksandra Zakrasniana. A major challenge when the time comes to rebuild this country at war.