Around two hundred mental health facilities established in rural areas
Kazakhstan's Mental Health Struggles Amid Pandemic
The mental health of Kazakhstan's population has reportedly deteriorated during the pandemic, according to expert opinions. Nikolai Negai, the head of the Republican Scientific Practical Center for Mental Health, attributes this decline to the public's unhealthy imagination.
To address this issue, 200 mental health clinics have been established in rural areas and 72 primary centers in urban regions across the country. This increased access to psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and psychologists is available through a website offering remote assistance, as reported by Almaty.tv.
According to Negai, over 40,000 people have visited this website, engaging in over 100,000 relevant sessions. Information provided on the site addresses mental health concerns such as anxiety, sleep disturbances, and stress management during the pandemic.
While no specific reports on Almaty.tv detail Kazakhstan's mental health situation directly as a result of the pandemic, the global impact of COVID-19 on mental health is widely acknowledged. Disruptions to daily life, economic instability, and fears of illness have contributed to increased stress, anxiety, and depression worldwide, including in Kazakhstan.
Large industrial companies like Kazzinc have addressed the pandemic's public health challenges by supporting medical facilities, focusing more on physical health and infrastructure rather than mental health specifically.
The expansion of telemedicine and remote health services has been observed in many Central Asian countries during the pandemic, where international organizations, local NGOs, and government health campaigns have sometimes provided mental health hotlines, online counseling platforms, and public awareness initiatives, although these are not detailed in the current citations.
Science and health-and-wellness have become essential in Kazakhstan during the pandemic, with a focus on mental health being particularly important. Nikolai Negai, the head of the Republican Scientific Practical Center for Mental Health, acknowledges this, noting that over 40,000 people have engaged in over 100,000 relevant sessions on a remote mental health assistance website.
