An Existential Analysis of Despondency, Apathy, and Abulia in the Ukrainian Combatant

Abstract

The sense of meaning that war holds for soldiers – grounded in the high value of their martial deeds and of themselves to the community for which they fight or have fought – is a necessary condition and a powerful salutogenic factor in their mental health. For Ukrainian combatants, such meaning is carried by the war against the «rosmordor.» They are warrior-defenders of good, of humanity. Therefore, the preservation, restoration, and strengthening of the mental health of our warrior-defenders demands grateful, active, and generous care for them – above all for the gravely wounded and for the families of the fallen – which must be effectively ensured through priority state programs. It is demonstrated that in the process of providing psychological assistance to those of our warrior-defenders who require it, emphasis must be placed on the high, nobly chivalric meaning of their courageous and self-sacrificial combat service. This is the key to its success, as our experience attests – including the case presented in this report. Combatant B. took active part in combat for three years, was gravely wounded, and suffered from apathy and abulia. This condition began together with a loss of faith in the belief that God is Love. It is argued that the components of the successful existential analysis conducted with B. are: 1) V. Frankl’s reflections on a worthy response to the question of the meaning of human evil and suffering; 2) existentialism’s account of «spiritual tedium» and deliverance from it; 3) the key arguments: B. is a warrior-defender of good; this is the most noble and highest mission of a human being, for according to the Bible, this mission comes from God, who granted the human being the alternative of their own free choice between good and evil, and who moreover Himself yearns for the victory of good in human souls and actions, and persistently turns us toward the path of good. It is argued that the first reliable indicator of the success of existential analysis is the client’s/patient’s authentic inner agreement that the highest meaning of a humane person lies in the affirmation of good through love and care, through self-sacrificial service. The emotional energy of the tender impulse of such agreement stirs in the client’s soul a sense of their own responsibility and dignity, and a readiness to fight for everything that is valuable, dear, and beloved to them – which substantially alleviates, and may ultimately neutralize, their neuropathic burden. It is precisely this kind of catharsis that took place with B.