In Sudan, a key strategy was to involve community “gatekeepers”—religious leaders, respected community leaders and traditional healers—to ensure community buy-in and use of services. The situation in Tigray affected her mental health and she started behaving violently and erratically. Having already faced stressful events in their home countries—violence and loss—refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) may encounter additional stressors of poverty, discrimination, overcrowding, disconnection from their previous sources of social support and food and resource insecurity.
Supporting their mental health is essential to keeping our health workforce strong and ready for future emergencies.” Over three days, participants engaged in guided sessions focused on stress management, peer support, and self-care to help responders recover and maintain their wellbeing after extended field operations. Leveraging a ‘health systems approach’, the programme builds health-care capacity in Sudan and enables its public health-care system to function independently of humanitarian initiatives. The approach in Sudan shows how strengthening national mental health systems is possible through responses provided in humanitarian settings.
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For rural healthcare providers, handling mental health in emergencies can be even more difficult due to limited access to specialized care. Mental health during emergencies is something that can affect both individuals in crisis and the staff supporting them. In 2024, the World Health Assembly approved a resolution to strengthen MHPSS in all stages of emergencies and provide integrated, quality mental health services which are https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-04-29/parenting-teens-coronavirus accessible to all. In 2024, WHO and partners supported the Ukrainian MHPSS operational roadmap, coordinating more than 250 actors and national authorities to significantly scale up mental health services.
mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG) training of health-care providers
Building national capacity to implement policies, plans, and programs that promote mental health, reduce the burden of psychosocial illness, and prevent disabilities is essential for an adequate emergency and disaster response. Also important are intersectoral coordination and work to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders, with particular attention to the life course, considering each specific local situation; support for communities and families; non-specialized targeted support; and specialized services, as well as the establishment, organization, and implementation of activities by the technical working group (TWG) on mental health. War, armed conflict, and natural disasters such as the recent Türkiye and Syria earthquakes cause profound distress, and can cause or exacerbate mental health conditions. The Assembly asked WHO to continue to provide technical support to Member States for the expansion of inclusive, integrated, evidence-based primary and community mental health services and psychosocial support and recommended the strengthening of WHO’s capacity in respect of its mental health work. For the first time, the plan includes an indicator on preparedness for providing mental health and psychosocial support during emergencies. In addition, WHO has collaborated on the elaboration of the first-ever programme for rapid deployment of experts in mental health and psychosocial support during public health and humanitarian emergencies.
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- In every emergency, the struggle is not only for survival, but also for dignity, hope, and mental well-being.
- Often people experience anxiety, fear, helplessness and hopelessness.
- Even those with experience responding to disasters (eg, first responders, emergency workers, law enforcement, and health care workers) were ill-prepared for a novel infectious disease that has been hard to predict, caused significant illness, resulted in relatively high mortality, and presented significant risk to personal and family safety.
- By publishing this report, WHO aims to ensure that people faced with emergencies do not miss the opportunity for mental health reform and development.
- Mental health apps and websites can offer valuable resources for managing mental well-being and accessing support.
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