STRESS RESISTANCE AND MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY: THE EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

During the years of independence, Ukraine suffered from permanent crises. First, there were economic crises (the depressed 1990s), then political (elections, Maidans), biological (the COVID- 19 pandemic), and now military (russia's war of aggression). Such life challenges are not easy for adults and even more so for young people and children. Therefore, recovering mental health and building stress resistance is important. To overcome traumatic crises, it is necessary to draw on the practical experience of other countries, and among them, first of all, the European Union, since Ukraine has the status of a candidate for EU membership since June 2024. The work considered the achievements of the institutions of the European Union regarding the determination of the state of mental health, the selection of the most vulnerable groups, and the development of programs and projects of the best and most promising mental health practices. The starting point for the new Comprehensive approach to mental health introduced by the European Public Health Commission is communication, that is, the combination of efforts of institutions from various spheres of life, on which mental health depends: employment, education, culture, digitalization, environment, etc. Because mental health goes beyond personal and family issues and is the foundation for a productive economy and inclusive society, one element of public health is awareness of where and what help to find, and how to get support and high-quality treatment. To take advantage of the best European practices, the work provides a link to the EU Repository on promising mental health practices, EU projects, EU4Health, the UN Development Program, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for Ukraine on improving mental health and psychosocial support of the most vulnerable segments of the population, including children, victims of war, migrants and returnees, for the training of teachers, social workers and primary care medical personnel, psychological recovery of psychologists of the State Emergency Service.