While the Soviet-era practice of torturing dissidents through incarceration in psychiatric facilities and bogus diagnoses is mostly a thing of the past, occasionally interviews with leading psychiatrists around the country show how in some pockets of the Russian medical establishment, old attitudes remain. This is especially true when it comes to the issue of "sects"--a pejorative term usually applied to both genuinely dangerous cults, whose victims all over the world often require psychiatric treatment, and minority faiths that do not practice coercion, but are seen by many within the Russian security and medical establishments, the Russian Orthodox Church, and by much of the general public, as bizarre and dangerous organizations that "zombify" their followers, engage in espionage activities, and in other ways harm the interests of Russia. Sensational media coverage often adds to these fears.

An April 11, 2008 posting on the Tver-based news web site eTver.ru began with the phrase, "we will now continue the conversation about totalitarian sects" and described as evidence an incident in the region that took place "several years ago." A man reportedly committed suicide by sitting in front of a train; a copy of Mormon religious literature was found on his person. At this point, the article becomes an interview with a person who from his title alone can be judged as probably the region's most influential psychiatrist--Aleksandr Zinkovsky, head of the department of psychiatry at the Tver State Medical Academy. Dr. Zinkovsky gives a description of the activities of these "sects" that differs little from similar articles from around the world about cults--descriptions of psychological and physical coercion, deception, and exploitation. The one group he singles out, however, at the prompting of the interviewer, are the Mormons.

He calls the man's suicide "typical" and adds that: "Mormons distinguish themselves from other similar organizations in one horrible way--they practice inbreeding... As a rule, they have a low level of intelligence. So naturally, against the background of the destructive nature of their ideology, various psychological distortions can arise." He added that he and his colleagues "sometimes come across psychological illnesses based on religion" but that, "I can assure you, these illnesses can be treated successfully. But it's better not to allow them to begin in the first place."

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