Constant anxiety, a lost sense of security – “as if the ground had been knocked out from under your feet”, helplessness, anger, fear and guilt – with such psychological problems, Russians have been turning to psychologists in recent days. Immediately after the start of the military operation in Ukraine, a number of Russian NGOs organized gratuitous psychological support to everyone “who needs it now, regardless of citizenship and place of residence.” Psychologists specify that both citizens of Russia and Belarus, Ukraine and residents of Donbass are applying. Experts advise them to limit their time on the Internet, narrow their planning horizon, and remind them that worrying in such a “traumatic situation” is a healthy reaction of the psyche.

“Friends, today we want to address with words of support to everyone, regardless of nationality, citizenship and beliefs. We help and will continue to help everyone who needs it. We work because we are needed,” such messages began to appear on the social networks of Russian NGOs since February 25. A day earlier, we recall, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation in the Donbass. Non-profit organizations are reminded of phone numbers that citizens can call and share their problems. Among them are contacts Moscow psychological service, psychological service of the Ministry of Emergency Situationsproject hotlines “You are not alone”, “Your Territory”crisis service “Emotional conversation” and others.

Psychological service “Clear Morning”, which supports cancer patients, has switched to “crisis mode” since last Friday and is accepting appeals around the clock related to the situation in Donbass and Ukraine. The organization’s official Facebook page says that psychologists are “ready to provide psychological support by calling the hotline free of charge to anyone who needs it now, regardless of citizenship and place of residence.”

The director of the Clear Morning service, Olga Goldman, notes that these days the number of calls is “dramatically higher” than in other crisis situations, for example, in the case of a pandemic. “We now have about 15 calls a day about the war, which is a lot for our small line. Usually, people do not often turn to helplines: to make up your mind, you really need to be in a very difficult situation.” Ms. Goldman named the requests with which citizens turn to the psychologists of the service:

constant anxiety;
a lost sense of security – “as if the ground had been knocked out from under their feet”;
helplessness, anger, fear and guilt in connection with a military operation in the territory of a neighboring country.

People describe situations in which they find themselves. One interlocutor, says Ms. Goldman, complained that “the people fled because of the war, there is no one to work, business is failing.” Another caller asked for help, as her husband, due to the political situation, decided to leave the country and because of this, the family is collapsing. People say that they are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their standard of living and not being able to pay off their loans. There are complaints about quarrels in the family due to different political views. One of the callers asked for psychological support, since she had a wedding scheduled for March 12, but the groom was “conscripted into the army,” and the woman is afraid that he will be killed.

“Anxiety is the main thing that happens. People are afraid for their lives, and they have nothing to rely on,” Olga Goldman comments. At the same time, according to her, anxious moods are often not clearly articulated.

“We try to be specific about what exactly this anxiety is about, because if it covers a person with such a black unformed cloud, it is impossible to deal with it. In addition, we advise you to narrow the planning horizon: today you are alive, everyone is healthy, tomorrow it is also clear what will happen, and what will happen the day after tomorrow – you will think about it tomorrow.

The Department of Social Protection of Moscow, which organizes psychological assistance to the population, could not promptly answer whether additional support measures are planned. In most regions, they also did not confirm that they are preparing such programs. The Crimean government told Kommersant that the issue of providing psychological assistance is being worked out as one of the possible options, but has not been applied. Residents of the peninsula can so far only privately contact specialists.

Many formal and informal associations of psychologists provide free psychological support to the population, crisis psychologist Natalia Skuratovskaya tells Kommersant. Among them are the Association for Crisis Psychology, the Association for Trauma and Existential Therapy. In addition, experts offer help in social networks. According to Ms. Skuratovskaya, both citizens of Russia and Belarus, Ukraine and residents of Donbass are applying.

“If a person feels that he is overwhelmed by anxiety, bitterness or despair, it is necessary to limit the time spent on the Internet. We need to remember that we cannot help anyone and support anyone when we ourselves are in an unstable state,” says Natalia Skuratovskaya.

– Instead, you should do something that will allow you to see a real result: at work, around the house. There are probably many people nearby who need emotional support. There are children, after all, who need our care, who give us a sense of the stability of the world. Hugging children and cats is also something that can help now.” Natalia Skuratovskaya advises “to rely on the body as much as possible”: do not forget to eat, walk, do not dismiss the deterioration of your psychological state: either turn off the news flow, or seek qualified psychological help.

Vyacheslav Filashikhin, chief physician of the Rosa Center for Psychiatry, Neurology and Narcology, names the symptoms in which you should consult a doctor:

long-term disturbance of sleep and appetite,
sensation of a lump in the throat,
chest heaviness,
inner trembling,
increased heart rate.

He notes that current events have obviously had an impact on the psychological health of citizens. “Psychiatrists have such an expression “reactive state”, that is, a state that occurs in response to something. There is an acute reaction, it occurs in the first days: shock, shock, surprise. And delayed: reactive depressions, reactive neuroses that develop over time,” says Vyacheslav Filashikhin. At the same time, he urges not to forget that increased anxiety is a “healthy reaction to such traumatic events” as a temperature in response to a virus that has entered the body. And although the psychological state of citizens will directly depend on how the military conflict in Ukraine and the situation in Russia develops, over time, most people “with a healthy mind” will naturally cope with this anxiety, Mr. Filashikhin concludes.

Natalya Kostarnova; regional corset “Kommersant”