During Almedalen, Hug (Help Ukraine Gothenburg) and The Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi) organized the panel Mental Health as a Bridge to Integration, exploring how mental health and integration are connected in the daily life of displaced Ukrainians in Sweden.
HUG’s findings show that integration barriers and mental health challenges reinforce each other: around 70% of participants reported integration-related difficulties, while 77% reported worsening mental health. Conversely, mental health support can strengthen people’s ability to learn, work, build relationships, and take part in community life.
These findings point to mental health as an essential part of integration. They also align with Sweden’s national strategy for mental health and suicide prevention, which frames mental health as a shared societal responsibility. But what does this responsibility mean in practice?
During the panel, we discussed that it requires a long-term perspective, as well as shared action, coordination, and accountability among all actors involved. This responsibility does not disappear when we fail to act; it only reappears as the shared costs of inaction.
At HUG, through four years of supporting displaced Ukrainians, we have seen how important civil society is in this process. Community-based organizations are often close enough to people to create a sense of belonging, identify needs early, and build trusted pathways to further support. But this role requires sustainable partnerships, predictable funding, and long-term cooperation with public institutions.
We believe that mental health can become a bridge to integration when institutions and communities work together. When we invest in mental health, we invest in integration. When we invest in integration, we invest in the future.
Warm thanks to our speakers: Anna Hammarstedt, Viktoriia Svidovska (Thander), Måns Fellesson, Sofia Breitholtz, and Alla Tangstad 🇺🇦.
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