Mental Health: Global Challenges Journal
https://www.sciendo.com/journal/MHGCJ
ISSN 2612-2138
mental health support in the armed forces of
Great Britain. They include consultant psychiatrists,
mental health nurses, mental health social
workers and, where appropriate, clinical
psychologists. The main purpose of these
departments is to support members of the armed
forces and refer them to inpatient treatment if
necessary. The Veterans Health Alliance is also
worth noting among other features of support for
veterans in the health care system in Britain. It
consists of 49 hospitals and ambulances in
England, Scotland and Wales. About 100
accredited people work at it.
In the USA, there is a practice of implementing
a state program called Whole Health (WH), which
was initiated by the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) in health care facilities. WH is defined
as an approach to health care that empowers
and equips people to take charge of their health
and well-being in order to live a high-quality life.
The WH principles are based on a commitment
to move towards quality, person-centred health
care that is “personalized, proactive, and
managed personally by a patient” (Kligler, Hyde,
Gantt, Bokhour, 2022). As part of this program,
veterans are initially referred to a medical coach
who performs a so-called “health inventory” – a
comprehensive assessment of physical and
mental health parameters. Veterans make a
personal health care plan based on the received
data and are accompanied by a special team.
This plan is made up according to the principles
of SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented,
realistic and time-bound goals) time goals) and
based on the personal life values of each
individual veteran. At the next stage, the
participants will be offered an individually
selected training program and comprehensive
support (by type of coaching) in order to achieve
the planned goals (Taylor et. al., 2023).
Another distinctive feature of this model is the
active involvement of veterans in health
programs based on complementary and
integrative health (CIH), in particular: yoga,
meditation, acupuncture. By the way, recently
the amount of evidence for their effectiveness
has increased significantly, especially in pain
management, so some of them are
recommended in national guidelines.
Principles of the system of medical and
psychological rehabilitation
The term “medical and psychological
rehabilitation” has recently gained popularity and
spread. The concept of “rehabilitation” appeared
in 1844 in the international practice. It was used
to denote measures aimed not only at treatment
but also at restoring body functions in order to
improve the quality of life. After the First World
War, medical, recreational and social
rehabilitation services became available to
military veterans due to the efforts of the Red
Cross charity. In the modern world, the issues of
rehabilitation of this category of people have
become an important aspect of social policy.
They are based on the principles of respect for
human rights and equal opportunities. One of the
key aspects of the rehabilitation concept is the
transition from a purely medical direction to a
broader, social one. Rehabilitation is now defined
as a complex process that includes
psychological, social, cultural, and economic
support in addition to the treatment and
functioning restoration. This allows providing full
and comprehensive assistance to veterans in all
aspects of their lives (Sasina, Grebeniuk,.
Medvedok, 2023).
In 2006, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO), the concept of “medical
and psychological rehabilitation” started
meaning “an active process, the goal of which is
to achieve the full restoration of functions
impared as a result of a disease or an injury, or
optimal realization of physical, mental and social
potential of a disabled person, the most
adequate integration of him or her in society
(Savenkova, 2013).
We consider the main principles of the
medical and psychological rehabilitation system
to be worth considering in more detail:
The principle of inclusiveness, individualization
and personalization is one of the fundamental
principles of ensuring veterans’ various needs in a
specific community and the specific needs of
individual groups of veterans. Each participant in
the conflict has his or her own physical,
psychological and social needs, which require an
individual approach in planning and providing
rehabilitation services. This principle implies taking
into account the unique needs of each veteran
in the rehabilitation process. It involves meeting
the needs of all veterans, regardless of their
place of residence, social status and severity of
their condition. The assistance provided should
be available 24 hours a day, due to to hotline
services and a system of providing on-site
medical and psychological assistance to
veterans at their place of residence, and should
be able to solve specific problems (for example,
both problems of addiction to psychoactive
substances and legal and social issues).
The principle of continuity, consistency and
duration is related to the first principle and
involves the creation of a system of assistance for
veterans, prevents illness perpetuation of the
veterans’ problems, and also promotes the ability
to navigate the network of rehabilitation and
social services. This means that all rehabilitation
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