Why the mental health of aid workers is vital to Covid recovery

The mental health support needs of humanitarian workers have increased during the pandemic.

As much of the world braces for another wave of Covid-19 infections, the pandemic’s toll on mental health is increasingly evident.

Increased social isolation, heightened anxiety over income and job losses, and bereavement is worsening mental health across the globe. A recent survey by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in seven countries found that over half of adults believe their mental health has been negatively affected by Covid-19.

This coincides with decreased availability of mental health services; the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures reveal that the pandemic has interrupted or suspended mental health support services in 93 per cent of countries. Reduced services mean more people rely on humanitarian workers, especially in countries where pre-existing pressures such as conflict, natural disasters and economic crises have left many people in an already fragile mental state.