The composite term ‘mental health and psychosocial support’ (MHPSS) is used to describe ‘any type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental health condition’. - IASC Guidelines for MHPSS in Emergency Settings (2007).

"Emergency situations such as armed conflicts, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises exacerbate the risk of mental health conditions. Nearly all people affected by these emergencies will experience psychological distress, with one in five likely to have a mental disorder such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. These risks are heightened in older people and marginalized groups. Stressful events such as violence and loss, as well as poverty, discrimination, overcrowding, and food and resource insecurity, are common in emergencies and can increase the risk of developing mental health conditions. People with severe mental disorders are particularly vulnerable.

However, while emergencies have a detrimental effect on mental health, they have also been shown to provide opportunities to build sustainable mental health care systems in the period following the event." - World Health Organisation Ensuring a coordinated and effective mental health response in emergencies

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Resources

IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

• IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (2007)

• IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support: Checklist for Field Use (2008)

• IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support: What should Protection Programme Managers Know? (2010)

• IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support: What should Humanitarian Health Actors Know? (2010)

Other resources

• “I Support My Friends” A training for children and adolescents on how to support a friend in distress WHO, UNICEF, Save the Children and the MHPSS Collaborative (2021)

• Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers (WHO, 2011)

• Psychological First Aid Training Manual for Child Practitioners (Save the Children, 2013).

• UNHCR Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Resources

• UNICEF Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Resources

• ICRC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support