Chronic stress, insomnia, and constant anxiety have ceased to be merely individual experiences and have turned into mass professional risks for millions of Ukrainians. Experts warn: without systematic state support, the country will soon face a sharp surge in the incidence of chronic diseases.
New Risk Factors and Sleep Deficit
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, forced displacement, regular air raids, and instability in the energy system have been added to the structure of health threats for Ukrainians. Bohdan Bozhuk, General Director of the Y. I. Kundiev Institute of Occupational Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, noted in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that traditional risk factors have been exacerbated by the war.
Studies show that Ukrainians are currently sleeping an average of 40 minutes less than the norm. The combination of this deficit with economic uncertainty leads to constant psycho-emotional strain, increased anxiety, and chronic emotional fatigue.
Rise in Mental Disorders and Specialist Burnout
The hardest hit is the mental sphere. According to specialists, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the number of cases with symptoms of mental disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has increased by 3–5 times. Overall, experts estimate that about 10 million Ukrainians need help due to deteriorating mental health.
A critical situation is observed among those who work daily with the consequences of the war. About 80% of medical personnel in frontline regions are already showing signs of professional burnout.
Threat of a Labor Potential Crisis
Experts warn that the mental consequences of the war may be long-lasting, resembling in their complexity the experience of Chernobyl, the consequences of which victims have lived with for decades. If Ukraine does not launch large-scale health support and rehabilitation programs, the country will face a serious crisis of labor potential.
Bohdan Bozhuk predicts that without active action, there may be a rise in chronic non-communicable diseases, arterial hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular pathologies by approximately 20–30%. Premature aging and disability of the working-age population are already being recorded, while chronic fatigue is leading to exacerbations of digestive and endocrine system problems.