Invisible Wounds: Mental Health in Ukraine at a Time of War

What does war do to the human psyche? How does one live with the reality of constant threat, loss and trauma? And what remains when the fighting is over? How do not only bodies “return” from war, but also broken spirits? And how do we care for them when the system and the people around them fail to keep up? In a debate on the occasion of the publication of Neviditelné rány – Krize duševního zdraví na Ukrajině očima tamních expertů (Invisible Wounds: The Mental Health Crisis in Ukraine through the Eyes of Local Specialists), we will combine academic insight, field experience and human stories from the war. The publication has been produced in collaboration with nearly 100 Ukrainian professionals, humanitarian workers, artists and volunteers, who provided testimonies on how war transforms the psychological reality of individuals and society. We will debate not only what Ukraine needs, but also what we can learn from it – about resilience, community, the healing power of sharing, and the fine line between heroism and psychological exhaustion.