Protecting mental health during emergencies

In any public health emergency, such as a disease outbreak, it is common for people to feel stressed and worried. People living with mental disorders, older adults, young people and marginalized groups are particularly vulnerable to mental distress during emergencies. For example, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s mental health and well-being has been profound and far reaching. Mental distress during the pandemic has been associated with fears from the risk of being infected, disruption to mental health services, increased burden on frontline and other essential workers, added stress to vulnerable populations and complicated grief arising from personal loss. 

Mental health and psychosocial support should be a core component of any public health emergency response, as it can break the chains of transmission, mitigate the risk to population wellbeing, and build capacity to cope with adversity. 

Strengthening social ties and family cohesion, enabling peer and community support, and mobilizing social capital can mitigate the negative impact of health emergencies to mental health. Reinforcing these connections and protecting mental health in the settings of daily life - our home, schools, workplaces, and communities - can help foster resilience during difficult times. 

The aftermath of any emergency is also an opportunity to build back better and enhance the resilience of mental health systems to future health emergencies. Social mobilization, investment in community-based mental health services, and political commitment are key to the response.