The psychiatrist explained the changes in the order of psychiatric examination in 2026

Starting from March 1, 2026, changes to the procedure for psychiatric examinations of employees will come into force in Russia. These innovations relate to workers in certain professions associated with increased danger or responsibility. This was told by a psychiatrist from the Polyclinic network of medical centers.<url>" Roman Ustinov.

According to the expert, the changes primarily affect technical aspects, such as improving the logistics of the process and simplifying documents.

"These are not the first changes in the rules of compulsory psychiatric examination (OPO). They are held almost every year and relate mainly to the technical part. The format of the forms, the rules for issuing the examination and conclusion, and the examination mechanisms are changing," Ustinov explained.

From 2026, a psychiatric examination will be conducted only if signs of a mental disorder have been identified during a mandatory periodic medical examination.

"The approach to identifying problems during other medical examinations is changing. Now, if signs of a possible mental disorder are noticed both during the preliminary (when applying for a job) and during a periodic medical examination, the employee will be referred to a psychiatrist. From March 2026, only the results of a scheduled periodic inspection will be such an occasion," the expert added.

The changes do not apply to the list of diseases that may be the basis for referral for psychiatric examination.

"Signs of mental disorders such as psychopathy, depression, schizophrenia, age—related dementia, alcoholism, drug addiction and a number of other diseases can be detected during the examination and will become the basis for sending an employee for psychiatric examination," he said.

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Special attention will be paid to employees with access to state secrets.

"Such employees will continue to undergo a commission under another order. For them, the conditions of the special medical treatment have always been stricter than for other categories of employees," the psychiatrist emphasized.

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