Author:
Yuliia Didenko
The Voices of Children Foundation’s online psychological support helpline receives requests every day from children and parents across Ukraine and abroad. Anxiety and sleep disorders, loss of appetite, self-harm, and burnout among mothers — chronic stress gradually wears down mental health. The first signs often appear through physical symptoms, leading families to seek help from pediatricians or gastroenterologists before realizing that the root cause may be psychological and emotional strain.
Olena Lisova, psychologist and head of the Foundation’s online support helpline, explains the issues families most often seek help with, how these concerns have evolved since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, and why self-harm and suicidal thoughts are now appearing in younger children than before.
Understanding these common warning signs can help parents and teenagers recognize emotional distress early, at a stage when psychological support may still prevent a deeper crisis.
Olena Lisova, psychologist and head of the Foundation’s online support helpline, explains the issues families most often seek help with, how these concerns have evolved since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, and why self-harm and suicidal thoughts are now appearing in younger children than before.
Understanding these common warning signs can help parents and teenagers recognize emotional distress early, at a stage when psychological support may still prevent a deeper crisis.
The Most Common Issues Raised on the Online Support Helpline
Psychologists receive requests related to acute stress reactions following shelling, grief and ambiguous loss, suicidal thoughts and intentions among children and adolescents, self-harming behaviour, depressive and sub-depressive states, difficult relationships with parents, feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, feelings of guilt, and bullying at school.
Most commonly, psychologists work with:
Another significant area involves parents seeking support with parenting challenges, maternal burnout, and the psychological difficulties of raising children during wartime.
More recently, a new category of requests has emerged: chaplains and specialists from military units’ psychosocial support departments have begun reaching out for help on behalf of service members’ children.
Most commonly, psychologists work with:
- fears and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, ranging from obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety to panic reactions and sleep disturbances;
- difficulties adapting after forced displacement, including relocation abroad;
- challenges in relationships with peers and family members, as well as feelings of loneliness.
Another significant area involves parents seeking support with parenting challenges, maternal burnout, and the psychological difficulties of raising children during wartime.
More recently, a new category of requests has emerged: chaplains and specialists from military units’ psychosocial support departments have begun reaching out for help on behalf of service members’ children.
How Requests Have Changed Since Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion
Olena Lisova identifies several trends the team has observed since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Another large group includes families from remote communities that previously had little or no access to psychological services. During initial consultations, psychologists often spend considerable time providing psychoeducation, explaining the role of a psychologist, how psychological support works, and addressing stigma surrounding mental health care.
- Cases have become more complex. Psychologists increasingly work with comorbid conditions, where several serious mental health challenges are present simultaneously, requiring coordinated support from both psychologists and psychiatrists.
- There has also been an increase in requests from Ukrainians struggling with the challenges of forced migration. For many, existing psychological difficulties have intensified.
- Requests related to grief and ambiguous loss among children have become more common.
- The number of cases involving self-harm and suicidal thoughts among children and adolescents has grown significantly. At the same time, the age of those affected has decreased, with families of increasingly younger children seeking support.
Another large group includes families from remote communities that previously had little or no access to psychological services. During initial consultations, psychologists often spend considerable time providing psychoeducation, explaining the role of a psychologist, how psychological support works, and addressing stigma surrounding mental health care.
Voices of Children and Parents: How Chronic Stress Appears in Real Requests
The effects of prolonged stress remain the backdrop to most requests. Psychologists see this reflected in the words of children, adolescents, and parents themselves, often in the messages they send before their first consultation.
“I’m suffering from constant stress. I suspect it’s causing a stomach ulcer because I experience severe pain regularly, and doctors haven’t been able to help. My PMS has also become so intense that it leads to suicidal thoughts.”
“My child is terrified of explosions and has started crying frequently. After the recent attacks, they began refusing to eat.”
“I’m struggling with overwhelming stress that makes it impossible to live or study normally. Because of this fear, I have no energy left for anything. I can’t even brush my teeth or take a shower.”
“I’m falling apart emotionally. I've started waiting for shelling like something's wrong with me, because there hasn’t been any for two weeks. I wake up at night even though I’m taking magnesium. I’ve stopped smiling.”
“My child is terrified of explosions and has started crying frequently. After the recent attacks, they began refusing to eat.”
“I’m struggling with overwhelming stress that makes it impossible to live or study normally. Because of this fear, I have no energy left for anything. I can’t even brush my teeth or take a shower.”
“I’m falling apart emotionally. I've started waiting for shelling like something's wrong with me, because there hasn’t been any for two weeks. I wake up at night even though I’m taking magnesium. I’ve stopped smiling.”
In children, chronic stress often manifests through physical symptoms. Parents reach out about sleep disturbances, enuresis, eating-related difficulties, headaches, apathy, and a lack of energy for even basic daily activities. Teenagers often describe their exhaustion as “laziness and decline,” “I don’t want anything,” or “I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”
How to Access Psychological Support from Voices of Children
If your child, teenager, or you yourself need psychological support related to experiences connected to the war, you can contact us through:
Support is free of charge, confidential, and available from anywhere in Ukraine or abroad.
Every request matters. Even when a concern falls outside the scope of the helpline, the Foundation’s team will help connect families with the most appropriate support available.
- the support helpline at 0 800 210 106 (9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m., seven days a week);
- our Telegram or Viber chatbot;
- messaging apps at +380 99 198 57 95 or +380 96 039 22 58.
Support is free of charge, confidential, and available from anywhere in Ukraine or abroad.
Every request matters. Even when a concern falls outside the scope of the helpline, the Foundation’s team will help connect families with the most appropriate support available.
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