The situation in the field of mental health care in Belarus can be briefly described as a permanent crisis. Of particular concern is the situation among young people—a group facing increased psychological pressure, uncertainty about the future, and limited access to quality care. The Belarusian Students’ Association has prepared a report on the critical state of the mental health care system in Belarus and its impact on the protection of human rights with regard to youth.

The report was prepared for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It analyzes the overall state of mental health in Belarus, the situation of children and youth, how psychiatry has become an instrument of repression in the hands of the state, and how the government is addressing existing systemic problems.

• According to official data, around 25% of Belarus’s population (one in four residents) suffers from various mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression. More than 450,000 people suffer from depression alone.

• In the first half of 2024, the incidence of suicide among minors increased by 50 percent, with the minimum age of victims declining to 10 years. There exists a notable shortage of psychologists in educational institutions, as evidenced by a vacancy rate of 17 to 18 percent, as well as the ineffectiveness of government prevention programs. Instances of suicide among university students have also been reported.

• Psychiatry in Belarus is increasingly being used as a tool to suppress political dissent. Since 2020, at least 33 cases of forced psychiatric treatment have been documented involving individuals who expressed disagreement with the authorities.

• Prisoners with mental disorders are perceived by prison administrations not as patients, but as a “disciplinary problem.” Instead of support, they are often placed in punitive isolation units or cell-type confinement facilities.

• Only 1.9% of the healthcare budget is allocated to psychiatric care, with more than 80% of these funds spent on maintaining hospitals rather than supporting community-based services. The system remains oriented toward inpatient care and a biomedical approach (a legacy of the Soviet era), ignoring patients’ needs for social integration. There is no national strategy aimed at promoting youth mental well-being.

• Legislative changes have expanded the range of situations in which psychologists may disclose confidential information without client consent. There are also strict restrictions on access to home-based education for people with mental disorders, including long waiting periods to confirm the “ineffectiveness of treatment.”

• Official media and academic circles often shift responsibility for youth suicides to external factors (such as “death groups” or the Overton Window Theory), ignoring the internal psychological suffering and social pressure experienced by adolescents.

Read the full report via the link!