In 2023, 460,400 people in Russia were diagnosed with mental disorders, surpassing pre-COVID levels and marking the highest incidence in the past decade, according to the independent Russian news outlet iStories, citing new data for last year recently published by the Ministry of Health.

The latest figure represents a slight increase from 460,100 diagnoses in 2022 and 430,000 diagnoses in 2021. The detection of mental illnesses in Russia decreased from the early 2000s until 2017, rose slightly in 2018 and 2019, but sharply declined in 2020 due to the pandemic and lockdowns, which limited diagnosis and treatment. However, from 2022 to 2023, the number of new patients slightly exceeded pre-pandemic levels, reversing the previous decline. Currently, approximately 4mn Russians live with diagnosed mental or behavioural disorders, with depression and anxiety being the most common conditions.

According to experts interviewed by iStories, this increase can be attributed to a combination of factors, including stress from the invasion of Ukraine and the lingering effects of long COVID, also known as Post-COVID syndrome.

The pandemic severely affected mental health worldwide, not just in Russia. The World Health Organisation noted a 25% rise in anxiety and depression in the first year. However, in Russia, the situation is further complicated by the war against Ukraine, which has had a compounding impact on mental health.

"The current situation in the country exacerbates the predisposition to mental illness," psychiatrist Alexey Kazantsev told iStories, noting that the war has “shortened planning horizons” and caused the deterioration of “emotional states,” potentially triggering mental disorders.

The rise in mental health issues can also be linked to the growing number of men returning from the front with PTSD.

"Only a few of them seek help from psychologists; many start using psychoactive substances,” Kazantsev continued. "Then we hear in the media about that they have committed some crime or suicide. Many cannot cope with PTSD. Their loved ones suffer when they drink and behave aggressively."

The full impact of the war on Russia's mental health will likely only become apparent in the coming years, psychotherapist Anastasia Rubtsova told the same outlet. Rubtsova explained that she expects to see a rise in anxiety and paranoid disorders due to the combined effects of the war and propaganda.

“The changes in daily life that the average Russian observes are alarming but not terrifying. The level of uncertainty has risen, incomes have fallen, but at the same time, some people even feel relief because at the beginning of the war everyone expected a major catastrophe, which did not occur,” Rubtsova said. “But no statistics will show us how the war has affected us yet. The effect is always delayed. To see it we need to observe for 5-10 years."

In March 2024, the Russian business outlet Vedomosti reported that antidepressant sales in Russia reached a five-year high early in the year. According to DSM Group, Russian pharmacies sold 3.6mn packs of anti-depressants in the first 11 weeks of 2024, up from 2.7mn packs in the same period in 2023.