Ukraine refugees in Berlin: Trauma consultation hours in Ukrainian
Refugees in Berlin
Refugees in Berlin: Trauma consultation hours in Ukrainian
The Center for Transcultural Psychiatry has set up a free special consultation for people from Ukraine.
Berlin. Fear, unrest, the pain of separation: Among the war refugees from Ukraine who arrive in Berlin are many people who are mentally challenged by the unexpected outbreak of war in their homeland. They are marked by the shock of having lost their home for the time being. The Berlin psychiatrist Peter Bräunig says that leaving behind parents, brothers, friends and the uncertainty is a burden for the refugees. “We will get very critical situations,” is his prognosis.
Bräunig heads the center for transcultural psychiatry in the Vivantes outpatient clinic in Reinickendorf. The center now offers an open psychiatric consultation for Ukrainian refugees. She is available daily and also on standby at weekends. And: It’s free. Bräunig’s team consists of female doctors who have a clear advantage: They are Ukrainian native speakers. “We don’t need interpreters either,” he explains. That creates a trusting atmosphere.
Senior physician Irina Gutt, for example, was born in Kyiv herself. And the pediatrician and psychiatrist Zhanna Zaluzhna has western Ukrainian roots and speaks Polish in addition to Russian and Ukrainian. Veronika Eberle-Gröger is also a native speaker and, as Senior Physician, is in charge of the Eastern European area of the center. Her treatment spectrum ranges from depressive disorders to anxiety disorders. Trauma therapist Elena Faller also speaks Russian.
“The people who are coming to us from the Ukraine these days are exhausted and tired from their flight, some have had to leave their husbands, sons, parents and their homes behind, are full of worries and acutely burdened,” explains Bräunig. “Some need follow-up psychiatric treatment, but for many the first thing to do is to find out who to turn to if they continue to feel bad.”
It is possible that people can now continue treatment that has already been carried out in their home country in Berlin. Or that people who have experienced threats and direct violence and have developed mental symptoms can receive treatment. These are “all forms of fear, nightmares, grief, loss, separation pain and depression, restlessness, sleep disorders, mental torpor or the feeling of being beside yourself,” Bräunig lists. In initial consultations, the therapists clarify what support the refugees need, for example whether they need medication.
Ukraine refugees in Berlin: Currently there are no psychiatric emergencies in the consultation hours
Currently there have been no psychiatric emergencies in the consultation hours. Bräunig says that the people who are currently being declared in Berlin “got away at the right moment”, which means that they were not exposed to a warlike situation for very long. That could soon look different. Because people who are only now making their way from Ukraine could bring back many bad war experiences. “We are therefore on alert and ready for emergencies,” says Bräunig. In a few weeks, adjustment disorders and stress reactions could become more apparent. “Then we have to be able to act,” says the psychiatrist.
Among other things, during the wave of refugees in 2015, the Center for Transcultural Psychiatry treated a number of severely traumatized people. From countries like Syria or Afghanistan, the dangerous, long journey often took them across the sea in boats. Bräunig remembers many bad cases. “One mother, for example, had to watch her three children fall from the rubber dinghy into the water while trying to escape. They couldn’t speak another word.”
Taking in refugees: empathy is important
Do personalities in Berlin who are now taking in Ukrainian refugees into their homes also need psychological skills? In principle not. A normal empathy is enough, says the psychiatrist. Because the most important thing at the moment is to provide shelter and give the refugees the security of having a place to sleep for the next few days. Of course, especially at night, states of restlessness and excitement can occur and it can happen that someone cries or trembles, says Bräunig. But you don’t necessarily have to talk a lot in such situations. One can also comfort and hold hands patiently.
But if you have the feeling that the situation is psychologically too stressful, you can also contact the open consultation hours at the Center for Transcultural Psychiatry. “Anyone who is in need now can call on us. The treatment does not generate any costs,” explains Peter Bräunig.
For info:
- The consultation hours for people from Ukraine are aimed at adults and children. It is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on standby at weekends. You can find out more by calling 0151-68939573, email: [email protected]. Address: The Center for Transcultural Psychiatry is located in the Vivantes Outpatient Clinic at Waldstraße 86-90, 13403 Berlin.
- The native-speaking teams at the Center for Transcultural Psychiatry have been treating refugees and migrants since 2005 – not only from Eastern Europe, but also from Arabic, Persian or Turkish. According to Vivantes, there are now around 2,700 patients per quarter. The center offers psychiatric services in more than 20 languages and maintains a digital translation system that employees can use to communicate with patients in over 120 languages if required.