“The Greatest Need Was to Be Listened to”: The Importance of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support During COVID-19

COVID-19 is exacerbating the immense mental toll on the millions of people around the world already living through disasters, conflicts and emergencies, who are routinely exposed to distressing experiences such as losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

This report was produced by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Project on Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Consequences of Armed Conflicts, Natural Disasters and other Emergencies (MOMENT), sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Danish Red Cross, Lebanese Red Cross and Swedish Red Cross.

Early in 2020, as the world was beginning to realise the magnitude of the humanitarian and societal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, we began to see the huge psychological implications of the virus itself and the measures to prevent it. Worries and fears about losing loved ones, becoming sick or about health systems being over-loaded continue to be common among the people we support.

Moreover, measures imposed by governments to prevent the spread of the disease, including lockdown restrictions, quarantines, physical distancing, and their economic and social consequences, further increase this distress and the risk of mental health problems.