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First Lady Olena Zelenska's "How Are You?" campaign addresses Ukrainians’ wartime mental health.

The initiative is rolling out a program to track how patients progress during the duration of treatment.

Psychological therapy has historically been stigmatized in Ukraine, but the war is shifting cultural views.

Before Russia invaded his country, Vladyslav Sentiakov envisioned building a family and being a steady provider.

To further that ambition, the florist from the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv volunteered to join the military.

The day he signed his contract “felt like a breath of freedom,” he said. “It was the start of a new chapter in my life.” He began in a patrol battalion and went on to serve in several other roles as the war progressed.

Yet service in the war left Sentiakov with clinical-level anxiety. He sought help with the Heart of Azovstal, an NGO that provides veterans with medical assistance, retraining, and education, as well as physical and mental rehabilitation.

As he began working with his psychologist, he also took part in a pilot study for a new patient tracking system called Healthy Mind, which is being tested ahead of a national rollout.

At the beginning and end of therapy, Sentiakov filled out surveys tracking his symptom scores. He is one of more than 4,500 patients who have participated in the program, which aims to bolster psychological diagnostics and systemic mental health work.

It is one of the partner platforms contributing to the rollout of Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska’s nationwide mental health program “How Are You?” That campaign launched in March 2023 as an all-Ukrainian mental health initiative with partnership from the WHO and USAID. It coordinates a range of programs across the Ukrainian government, which include making psychological support accessible for everyone in the country.

Zelenska, who worked as a television writer prior to her husband Volodymyr Zelensky’s election to the presidency, has used her public profile to........

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