The results of the monitoring conducted in 2020 show that psychiatric institutions do not meet the
minimum standards of psycho-social rehabilitation in the country462 and the country fails to meet its
obligations under international treaties. There is no therapeutic environment in the facilities and patients
spend all their time mostly in the wards or corridors idle.
The worst situation in terms of psycho-social intervention is in Tbilisi Mental Health Center Ltd. Although
according to the staff schedule, 4 specialists are considered as members of the multidisciplinary team
(psychologist-art therapist; psychologist463; ergo-therapist; social worker), after interviewing the staff and
patients, it becomes clear that the existence of the named team is only of a formalistic nature and does
not determine the individual needs of service recipients, identify/assess the problem, delineate the real
way to solve it and select the appropriate method. This is confirmed by the fact that no individual
rehabilitation plans have been drawn up and there are no individual records. Due to the lack of
rehabilitation activities and difficult living conditions, patients are forced to clean the common areas of
the facility in exchange for cigarettes and other food. This activity has no therapeutic purpose and may
even indicate labor exploitation.
The situation is relatively better in the Center for Mental Health and Drug Prevention Ltd,464 where
rehabilitation activities were scarce, but still ongoing.465 The challenge is the poor infrastructure that,
especially in pandemic conditions, prevents all patients from engaging in group therapies.
There is no multidisciplinary work in Senaki Mental Health Center Ltd and rehabilitation activities are
scarce.466 The institution employs a psychologist, who only sees patients for psychodiagnostic purposes
when they are being hospitalized. The lack of psycho-social rehabilitation is also explained by the fact
that patients are discharged from the institution in a short time. The state program of mental health
provides psycho-social rehabilitation only for patients on long-term treatment.467 The Public Defender
considers it important for the state mental health program to cover the psycho-social rehabilitation
component for patients receiving short-term treatment, as the above-mentioned international standards
do not apply only to patients receiving long-term treatment. In addition, the provision of bio-psychosocial psychiatric care at all stages of treatment will help the patient recover, which in turn will help unload
inpatient spaces.
The qualification of the personnel employed on of psycho-social rehabilitation remains a challenge. The
special preventive group studied this issue in depth during a monitoring visit to the Tbilisi Mental Health
Center Ltd. and found that according to the qualification documents, psychologists had not recently
passed the relevant training courses and the certificates in their personal records date back to 2011-2012.
Order №112/n of the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia of April 2, 2007 approving the standards
of psychosocial rehabilitation. <https://bit.ly/3s6rR3G> [Last visited: 28.12.2020].
463 Patients note that they met with a psychologist only upon entering the facility for primary psycho-diagnostics.
464 During the visit, the facility employed 2 psychologists.
465 Individual psychotherapy, ergotherapy and art therapy are ongoing.
466 Patients sometimes paint or watch a movie.
467 State Program of Mental Health approved by the Ordinance N4674 of the Government of Georgia (Program Code 27
03 03 01), Article 6, a.d.b. subparagraphs. Available: https://bit.ly/3opyADP [Last visited: 28.12.2020].
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