Mike Wessells on behalf of the IASC Task Force on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergenc

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Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines
on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in
Emergency Settings

• Mike Wessells on behalf of the IASC Task Force on
  Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in
  Emergency Settings

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Why Develop International Guidelines on Mental
Health and Psychosocial Support? How Does This
Relate to Child Protection?
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Task Force members
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Controversies

• Polarized, dogmatic opinions about best practices
• Lack of interagency collaboration
• Parachuting
• Little attention to participation
• Little attention to protective social
  interventions

• Lack of attention to pre-existing problems
• Lot of goodwill but little rigour in many
  programmes
• Lack of norms and standards

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Controversy
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The context

• pre-existing social problems
• E.g. discrimination, extreme poverty
• emergency-induced social problems
• E.g. family separations, loss of jobs,
  protection threats
• pre-existing psychological problems
• E.g. psychosis, severe alcohol use
• emergency-induced psychological problems
• E.g. normal fear (past, present, future),
  depression
• humanitarian aid-induced problems
• E.g. conflict between IDPs and host communities,
  anxiety about lack of information on food
  distributions

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Size of the problemSummary Table of Generic WHO
Projections
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Rationale for developing IASC guidelines

• Enormous needs
• Fragmented and sometimes controversial agency
  activities
• Absence of a multi-sectoral, inter-agency
  framework that
• enables coordination,
• identifies useful practices,
• flags harmful practices
• clarifies how different approaches to mental
  health and psychosocial support complement one
  another.
• Paucity of working inter-agency partnerships

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Whats in the Guidelines?

• Introduction
• Conceptual framework
• Foundation of core principles
• Dos and Donts
• Frequently asked questions
• MatrixPreparedness, Minimum Response,
  Comprehensive Response
• Action SheetsKey actions, Do No Harm
  considerations, Example, Key resources

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How the Guidelines Were Developed

• Broad consultative, participatory process
• Task Force formed by IASC Working Group in 2005
• Collaboratively developed content structure
• Agencies responsible for drafting different parts
  of the Guidelines
• Drew on field experience of leading practitioners
• Multiple reviews by diverse actors

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Developing a Comprehensive Framework

• Mental health and psychosocial support means
  both
• protecting or promoting psychosocial well-being
  and
• (b) preventing or treating mental disorder.

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Core Principles

• Human rights and equity
• Participation
• Do No Harm
• Building on available
• resources and capacities
• Integrated support systems
• Multi-layered supports

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Why is Participation Important?
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These IASC Guidelines

• Focus on minimum/first response in emergency
• Focus on practical actions and social
  interventions
• Provide short action sheets on 25 key
  interventions by different sectors
• Are to be implemented flexibly in a contextual,
  inter-agengy manner
• Make the protection of psychosocial well-being
  the responsibility of all sectors

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Areas of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
All Have Impact on Protecting Well-being

• Coordination
• Assessment, monitoring and evaluation
• Protection and human rights standards
• Human resources
• Community mobilisation and support
• Health services
• Education
• Dissemination of information
• Food security and nutrition
• Shelter and site planning
• Water and sanitation

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Sample Topics

• Community mobilisation
• Psychological first aid
• Substance abuse
• Staff care
• Emergency education
• Care for people with severe mental disorders
• Early child development
• Cultural supports

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How Does Work on Shelter/Site Design and
Development Relate to Childrens Mental Health
and Psychosocial Well-Being?
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Multisectoral Guidance

• Example The design of sites and shelters often
  causes distress owing to over-crowding, lack of
  privacy, and lack of safety at latrines
• Key Actions
• - organize shelters in ways that promote privacy
  and reduce overcrowding
• - provide adequate lighting around lockable
  sanitation facilities

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Those With Severe Mental Disorders Need
Specialised Care

• In an especially weak position in the midst of
  emergencies
• Neglected, abused and invisible

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How Can the Guidelines Be Used?

• Source of ideas for improving practiceresource
  book and guide on specific interventions/actions
• Programme planning and designe.g., young
  children
• Coordinating tool
• Means of identifying and avoiding the use of
  harmful practices
• Checklist to identify gaps
• Stimulus for collaboration between and across
  government, UN and NGOs to address diverse needs
• Lever for advocacy supporting better
  practicee.g., rights of displaced people

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