Guidance

Mental health support for British nationals in Russia

Updated 15 February 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/russia-mental-health-abroad/support-for-british-nationals-experiencing-mental-health-issues-in-russia

Disclaimer

The information contained in this note is intended for your general guidance only, it is not a substitute for obtaining your own medical and legal advice. While all due care has been taken in compiling this information, accuracy cannot be guaranteed and the applicable law and procedures may occasionally change. For these reasons neither His Majesty’s Government nor any member of the British Embassy Consular staff can accept liability for any costs, damages or expenses which might be incurred.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under GDPR and the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK Government Departments and public authorities.

FCDO consular support

Whenever possible we will seek your permission before taking any action on your behalf.

We can:

  • listen to you and help you look at your options
  • help you to contact friends and family members if you want to
  • visit you in hospital or prison in line with our usual procedures
  • raise any concerns about your treatment or welfare with the responsible authority (such as a hospital or prison)
  • help overseas medical staff contact medical staff in the UK who may be able to provide advice on your medical history
  • give information about local medication suppliers
  • be available, as appropriate, to offer you assistance if you choose to remain overseas
  • liaise with your travel representative or travel insurance company, if you want us to

We cannot:

  • give advice on mental health issues
  • buy or supply medication
  • withhold or remove a passport
  • stop you from travelling abroad
  • require you to return to the UK
  • pay for you to return to the UK
  • pay for food, accommodation or medical bills
  • get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people

What to do if you need help

In Russia, provision of psychiatric support and the rights of individuals are governed by the federal law. All foreign nationals in Russia are also subject to this law.

If there is an emergency or urgent need for medical attention, you should:

  • call 112 for general emergency assistance

  • call 103 for medical emergency services, if you are in Moscow

These are operated by the state providers. Your call can still be completed even if you have no credit on your phone, or your SIM-card is blocked or missing. Call operators are unlikely to speak English and you may need assistance from a Russian speaker.

By Russian law, if there is an immediate threat to a person’s life, emergency medical services (скорая помощь) are provided free of charge to everyone, including foreign nationals. This includes psychiatric services.

Most healthcare providers don’t speak English.

Your UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are not valid in Russia.

Unless your health issue poses an immediate threat to your life, you or your health insurance will have to cover the cost of psychiatric or psychological services. You can book an appointment with a GP, who would make a first assessment, provide initial support and refer you to the relevant medical specialist. If you have a pre-existing mental health condition, you can make an appointment directly with a psychiatrist (врач-психиатр), as no formal reference from a GP is required.

Normally, psychiatric support is provided in Russia by specialised medical institutions, which are separate from the mainstream facilities. All major towns have a network of state-funded outpatient facilities for patients with psychiatric issues. These are called psycho-neurological dispensaries (психоневрологические диспансеры). See the State psychiatric clinics section for contact details of the state psychiatric clinics in Russia.

The staff at the state clinics are unlikely to speak English, so you may need a Russian speaker to accompany you. In smaller clinics there are no mental health specialists - you will need to go to the nearest regional centre.

In Russia the quality of psychiatric services varies a great deal across the network of providers.  It may be substandard at the state facilities and outside of the geographic regional centres.

You can also make an appointment with a psychologist (психолог) or a psychiatrist at a private commercial clinic, which may have English-speaking doctors.

Medical facilities

The following private facilities offer psychological and psychiatric support:

Moscow

St Petersburg

Ekaterinburg

Private medical practice in Russia is not widespread, patients normally contact a doctor through a medical institution.

If you are concerned about a general state of your family member’s mental health, you need to try and convince them to see a psychiatrist and assist them with arranging for a psychiatrist’s appointment.

If the mental health state of your family member makes giving consent impossible, and they are in need of urgent psychiatric assistance, then you, their guardian if they have one, or other third party (including police) need to call 112 for an ambulance. The emergency psychiatric specialists will assess the patient’s psychiatric condition and decide if the urgent hospitalisation is required.

No third party can request hospitalisation either from the UK or from Russia, unless the person has been deemed by Russian court as lacking mental capacity and a guardian has been appointed for them.

Data protection

Just like in the UK, in Russia there is a number of laws restricting access to one’s personal data, including medical records, without their prior explicit consent.  If the data holder lacks capacity, the consent should be given by their designated guardian.

Although this is not a legal requirement, you may be requested to present a ‘no record’ certificate from a Russian state psychiatric healthcare provider in order to complete a property purchase/sale contract or other legal act in Russia. Consult a qualified English-speaking Russian lawyer for further clarifications and advice.

Travelling to Russia with your medication

Russian regulations on the use of psychoactive substances are strict. If your medication contains narcotic or psychoactive substances, you must carry a prescription in your name with a certified Russian translation. Contact the Russian Embassy in the UK or check the Russian government’s legal portal (the site may not be accessible from outside of Russia) for details.

Repeat or replacement prescriptions

If you are visiting Russia and require a repeat or replacement prescription, you need to  approach a certified psychiatrist through a GP or directly. In Russia, you can buy prescription medicines  only with a Russian prescription.

Carrying a copy of your UK prescription can help local doctors to find the exact or similar medication.

Compulsory hospitalisation

As in the UK, you can be hospitalised and detained without your consent if you have a mental health issue and considered to be a threat to yourself or others. In Russia, compulsory hospitalisation can be involuntary (недобровольная) or forced (принудительная). This is comparable to the UK’s ‘sectioning’ procedure but there are significant differences in procedure and law.

Involuntary hospitalisation

Involuntary hospitalisation takes place if your mental state makes you unable to consent to treatment while you need immediate psychiatric assistance and continued monitoring. Involuntary hospitalisation is facilitated by medical specialists based on the approach of your family, guardian or the police. Any involuntary hospitalisation has to be agreed through a local court hearing. You will normally be discharged from the hospital following a decision by a commission of psychiatric specialists or a court order to discontinue involuntary treatment.

Forced hospitalisation

Forced hospitalisation takes place if you have committed a crime and you have been deemed mentally unsound (невменяемый) through  an expert psychiatric assessment.  A local court may then sentence you to a forced psychiatric treatment in a specialised psychiatric institution as an alternative to a prison sentence. You can only be discharged from the hospital through a court verdict.

Consular staff cannot make decisions for you or influence any actions or decisions made by the medical professionals in Russia.

Costs of hospitalisation

You should take out health and travel insurance through a global insurance company before travelling to Russia. Make sure you declare any pre-existing conditions to your insurance company to ensure your insurance is valid. If you are planning to stay in Russia for a longer period, you may want to arrange for your health cover through a local insurance company.

Whether hospitalisation is consensual or at the request of a third person or the State, you will be liable for any hospital costs. By law, any dispute arising from provision of health services to a foreign national or delayed payment of those by the beneficiary will have to be resolved in accordance with Russian law, as there is no superseding international legislation in place. The reciprocal healthcare agreement between the UK and Russia ended on 1 January 2016.

The UK Government does not cover any hospitalisation costs regardless of your circumstances. Consular staff can help contacting your family/friends to ask for financial support to cover your hospitalisation costs or obtain details on your insurance.

Guardianship

If you are deemed unable to manage your daily needs due to poor health of any kind, a legal guardian (опекун) may be appointed to look after your interests.

According to Russian law, legal guardianship over a foreign national in Russia is governed by a ‘personal law’ of the said national. A British national’s ‘personal law’ is the UK law, unless they are domiciled in Russia or have a dual Russo-British citizenship, in which case their personal law will be Russian law.

Suicide

In Russia, attempting to commit suicide or reporting suicidal thoughts publicly carries no liability. However, pushing or provoking someone to commit suicide is a criminal offence. If someone’s life is at immediate risk from themselves, you need to call the police and emergency medical or rescue services (dial 112).

A suicide survivor is usually subject to compulsory admission at a state psychiatric facility.

Return to the UK

The cost of a medical repatriation must be covered by your travel insurance or personal funds. The UK Government does not organise or fund medical repatriation. The Russian authorities do not organise and fund medical repatriation even if the hospitalisation was at their request.

Once the medical team or doctors have decided that you are able to travel and have provided written consent, the repatriation (by air) can be organised through a medical repatriation company. If you need to be hospitalised in the UK, the transfer will be to your local hospital or institution.

Find a UK medical repatriation company operating in Russia.

State psychiatric clinics

Some of the below websites may not be accessible outside of Russia.

Location State psychiatric clinics
Moscow List of state psychiatric clinics, Moscow (only in Russian)
Moscow Gannushkin Psychiatric Hospital (only in Russian)
Moscow Serbsky Scientific Centre of Social and Forensic Psychiatry (only in Russian)
Moscow State Scientific Centre for Psychiatric Health
Moscow Psychiatric hospital N1 of Moscow Health Administration (only in Russian)
St Petersburg Psychiatric services for adults, St Petersburg (only in Russian)
Psychiatric services for children, St Petersburg (only in Russian)
St Petersburg Pavlov State Psychiatric Hospital N7 (only in Russian)
St Petersburg State Psychiatric Hospital N3 (only in Russian)

Russian charity organisations:

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