About the Issue
People impacted by conflict and disasters may have their rights abused, their lifestyle and traditions threatened or destroyed, they may be uprooted from their homes, lose their families, communities, jobs and safety nets, and have their resilience tested to its limits. These life changing events have a monumental impact on people’s mental health. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) can cover a wide range of issues including social problems, emotional distress, common mental conditions (such as depression and anxiety disorders), severe mental health conditions (such as psychosis), alcohol and substance abuse, and intellectual, developmental or cognitive disabilities.
Over the last decade, supporting people’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing has gained increasing recognition as a necessary and important part of humanitarian response. This recognition has been largely shaped by guidance that makes clear that effective MHPSS requires a collaborative approach between multiple humanitarian disciplines. However, in practice, delivery of MHPSS in emergencies remains concentrated within health, protection, child protection, gender-based violence and mine action programmes. A closer engagement of all protection actors and other humanitarian sectors on MHPSS, would make MHPSS more effective and the protection response more comprehensive and equitable.
The Role of the Protection Cluster
No single cluster agency or cluster is, on its own, responsible or accountable for MHPSS. It is a shared responsibility of multiple agencies and clusters. However, there is a clear and important role for protection actors in responding to the mental health and psychosocial needs of people in need of protection.
Addressing the mental health and psychosocial consequences of conflict, violence and disasters contributes to protection by strengthening the agency of people to effectively address their protection issues. The capacity of people and families to take actions to claim their rights are negatively affected by pervasive demoralisation, feelings of depression and anxiety, memories related to past events of violence and loss and worries about current life circumstances and the future. Moreover, addressing the mental health consequences of forced displacement can contribute to durable solutions. There is a bidirectional relation between mental health and the ability to be successful in school, job and livelihoods and including MHPSS considerations in activities for durable solutions to be more effective.
Chapter 11 of the GPC Field Protection Coordination Toolkit provides an overview of the key elements and principles of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), roles and responsibilities of Protection Clusters in coordinating MHPSS interventions, and relevant resources and guidance.
