By JENNIFER DAW
Monitor Staff
June 2002, Vol 33, No. 6
Before 1991, clinical psychology as we know it in the West didn't exist in Russia. Psychologists primarily conducted research or testing, and the field was merely considered "supplementary to psychiatry," according to Russian psychologist Alexander Maknach, PhD.
Now director of the Moscow Center for Psychology and Psychotherapy and a fellow of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Maknach says the clinical practice of psychology has emerged in the last decade and is making slow but steady progress addressing the nation's needs.
"Psychology is a very necessary profession," says Maknach, who says life has been bleak for many Russians since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Areas that demand psychologists' intervention include:
· Divorce. The divorce rate in Russia is similar to that of the United States--about one in two marriages will end in divorce. But, say psychologists there, many divorced couples in Russia continue to live together because there is no other place to live; it's too expensive.
· Alcoholism and drug addiction. Drinking is a major part of the culture in Russia, and alcoholism a major problem. Since 1990, alcohol consumption among males has doubled. Alcoholics Anonymous programs are available, but there is nothing similar to Western inpatient treatment for alcoholism.
· Unemployment and poverty. In 1999, just under half the population of Russia lived below the poverty line.
· Gangs and school dropouts. Forced to deal with poverty and little chance of finding decent jobs, many youngsters in Russia choose gang life over education.