Mental health in humanitarian emergencies and beyond: a necessity, not an option

This year, the theme of World Mental Health Day is mental health in humanitarian emergencies – an integral aspect of how the Red Cross works with affected people before, during and after crises. Our experience underlines how early mental health and psychosocial support can make a profound difference in enabling people to regain a sense of safety and control, allowing them to make informed decisions to enhance their wellbeing. 

This support is lifesaving in times of disruption and uncertainty. It needs to be accessible for everyone from the very onset of a crisis and sustained over time.

Early interventions, such as psychological first aid, can act as a protective shield, preventing people’s mental health needs from escalating into chronic conditions that are harder and more costly to treat. While we can all experience mental health challenges throughout our lives, certain events significantly increase our exposure.   Humanitarian crises — such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the displacement caused by the conflict in Ukraine — demonstrate that mental health needs can more than double in emergencies.

The fundamental right to health includes mental health. Yet, in humanitarian emergencies, services are often scarce or inaccessible. A nation-wide study carried out by the Ukraine Red Cross Society shows that while 56% of people report needing psychological support, only 19% have been able to access it[1]. Children, older people, and people with disabilities often face additional barriers. But despite clear evidence of its critical importance, inclusive mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) remain underfunded and poorly integrated in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

Beyond emergency settings, overall mental health needs are growing across the EU and increasingly exceeding the capacity of public systems to respond. In a rapidly changing world marked by the impacts of the climate crisis, geopolitical tensions, accelerated digitalisation and rising polarisation, individuals and communities face rising emotional and mental pressure.

A survey run by the IFRC in September 2025 across Lithuania, Portugal, France, Ireland, and Romania found that in most countries, more than 23% of respondents worry about crises and disasters daily or weekly. However, the same survey also revealed how people want to help each other but don’t feel equipped: four out of five people are willing to provide emotional support, but nearly half are worried about making things worse. Encouragingly, six in ten said that training in basic psychosocial support skills would increase their confidence to help others.

There is huge potential to boost mental health preparedness and resilience through preventive, community-driven care. National Red Cross Societies build on communities’ existing knowledge and expertise to strengthen ability to support themselves and one another, through initiatives such as raising awareness on mental health, providing training in psychosocial support, creating safe meeting spaces, and fostering solidarity mechanisms that enhance individual and collective well-being. Strong local support systems, whether in a neighbourhood, a school, a workplace, not only help people cope with daily stressors, they also reduce the impact of future emergencies. By investing in everyday resilience, individuals, communities, and society as a whole are better prepared to face any crisis together.

At the 33^rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2019, EU Member States committed to ensuring early access to mental health and psychosocial support by adopting Resolution 2 on “Addressing the mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies”[2].

Now is the time to turn these commitments into reality. By ensuring early access to MHPSS, strengthening local and community-based responses, and providing comprehensive, integrated care for people affected by emergencies, we can make sure that they have the opportunity to heal, recover, and thrive.