The therapeutic and diagnostic work is performed at the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital #3 (the main base of the department), Military medical clinical center of the Northern region at Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (additional base of the department); Scientific and Practical Medical Center of KhNMU (additional base of the department). The department also conducted consulting, medical-diagnostic work in the Kharkiv Municipal Psychoneurological dispensaries #3 and #16, Kharkiv Regional Psychiatric hospital № 1, Kharkov Student’s Regional Hospital.

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The teaching of psychiatry at the Medical Faculty of Kharkov University began much earlier than other universities in Ukraine. First course was a mental illness who read for years 1834-1844. Founder psychiatry Slavic countries, author of the first textbook on psychiatry "Mental disease, set out accordingly to present scientific principles of psychiatry in general and particularly, theoretically and practically contents" (1834) P.A. Butkovskyy was one of the first who introduced the term "psychiatry".

Department of nervous and mental diseases was founded in 1877 by Professor P.I.Kovalevsky, but then began publishing the first psychiatric journal "Archive psychiatry, neuropathology and forensic abnormal psychology", and in 1910 was published the first scientific collection dedicated to various aspects of mental health care.

During the 1894-1917 was the Head of Department and prof. A.I. Anfimov, the author of several works of world famous psychological methods.

From 1917 to 1923 the department was headed by prof. K.I. Platonov - student of M.M. Bekhterev, known expert in the field of neurology and psychotherapy, the author of the book "Word as medical and physiological factor" dedicated grounding theoretical concepts of psychotherapy, which has not lost its value so far.

During the 1923-1944 years the Department was supervisored by academician V.P.Protopopov, who was the author of the world famous research of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis. V.P. Protopopov described autonomic disorders at manic-depressive psychosis, known as the "Protopopov’s triad".

In 1931 the Neuropsychiatric department was opened in KhMI, and in 1932 it was reorganized into an independent Institute of neuropsychiatric staff and became a part of the Ukrainian Academy. The Institute conducted training of psychiatrists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, children neurologists and psychiatrists, forensic psychiatrists, etc. In 1936 the Institute became the faculty of the 2nd KhMI, which was organized in the same year. When V.P.Protopopov had moved to Academy of Sciences of USSR in Kiev, the department was headed by his disciple professor E.O.Popov, who later became a full member of Academy of Medical Sciences. E.O. Popov developed the phase-inhibition theory of hallucinations.

From 1951 to 1970 the Department was directed by a Honored Worker of Science, Professor N.P. Tatarenko. At that time the first Ukrainian textbook of Psychiatry was published and laboratory of pathophysiology of higher nervous activity was organized.

During the 1970-1991 years, the head of department was professor M.E. Bacherykov who paid great attention to improving the teaching and clinical work of the department, improved the quality of teaching medical psychology, psychiatry and narcology.

From 1991 to 2009 the department was headed by Professor V.L. Gavenko - Academician of the Polish Academy of Medical Sciences and the World Academy of Medicine named after Albert Schweitzer, holder of the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal, founder of scientific school of complex study of premorbid mental changes and disorders and conditions of social desadaptation in young people.

From 2009 till now the department is headed by Academician of Higher Education Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Professor A.M. Kozgyna.