Ukraine opens first mental health centre in Lviv for survivors of captivity and torture – photos

The St Leo the Great Mental Health Centre, dedicated to treating people who have survived torture and psychological trauma in captivity, has opened in Lviv, becoming the first of its kind in Ukraine.

Source: Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi; Lviv Oblast State Administration on Facebook

Details: The centre, part of the Nezlamni (Unbroken) National Rehabilitation Centre system, spans over 1,100 sq m and is equipped with 27 beds for inpatient treatment, offices for outpatient care and rooms for art therapy.

Nezlamni Ukraine told Ukrainian Pravda.Zhyttia (Life) that the centre will offer psychiatric consultations, individual and group therapies.

Ukrainians who have survived captivity will receive support from psychiatrists and psychotherapists specialising in various treatments, specifically exposure therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), art therapy, neuropsychology and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Patients can engage in art therapy rehabilitation, particularly through drawing, pottery, sculpting and weaving.

Local authorities estimate the centre will annually support up to 1,000 Ukrainians who have returned from captivity, helping them address the psychological and physical repercussions of their experiences.

Service members with appropriate guidance from their unit commander and civilians referred by the centre’s psychiatrists after consultation are eligible for treatment.

Background: Earlier, Russian forces attacked a medical clinic in Kyiv Oblast, destroying a facility that provided rehabilitation for children with disabilities, stroke patients, palliative care patients and military personnel recovering from injuries and captivity.

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