Citation

Morganstein JC, Bromet EJ, Shigemura J. Psychol. Med. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S0033291722002872

PMID

36155634

Abstract

The invasion of Ukraine (24 February 2022) created the greatest humanitarian disaster in decades. Millions have fled indiscriminate and targeted Russian bombardments, while the Ukrainian army and civilian territorial defense volunteers fight to protect Ukraine's sovereignty. There is added fear of radiation exposure at the Chornobyl (Chernobyl) and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants (NPPs) and the Kharkiv Physics and Technology Institute, commandeered by the Russian army. The NPP workers at Chornobyl were forced to continue operating the NPP for months at gun point by the Russian military, raising concerns about physical and mental fatigue among workers and the potential for radiation exposure from human and/or mechanical error beyond the confines of the nuclear facilities. Russian forces used the Zaporizhzhia plant to launch attacks at Ukraine with explosions occurring at the plant itself, prompting increased international concerns for a nuclear event. Compounding the unspeakable trauma of the war in Ukraine, the population faces threats of nuclear, as well as chemical and biological warfare from weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

As of this writing, amidst the backdrop of the WMD threat, the destruction and atrocities at Marriupol and Buccha shocked the world with intensified shelling and fighting in the eastern and southern regions. Healthcare professionals within and outside Ukraine, including the Ukrainian Psychiatric Association, are providing care, training, and support to local mental health practitioners and directly to traumatized populations...

Language: en

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder; Health anxiety; mental health and psychosocial services; war in Ukraine; weapons of mass destruction