Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 23 views

    Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in COVID-19 Outbreak

    Uploaded by

    GERARDO POLDO

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in COVID-19 Outbreak

    Uploaded by

    GERARDO POLDO
    23 views3 pages

    Original Title

    34202 (1)

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    23 views3 pages

    Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in COVID-19 Outbreak

    Uploaded by

    GERARDO POLDO

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    http://www.banglajol.info/index.

    php/BJID/index
    Correspondence
    Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases
    April 2020, Volume 7, Number Suppl_1, Page S45-S47
    ISSN (Online) 2411-670X
    ISSN (Print) 2411-4820
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/bjid.v7i0.46801

    Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in COVID-19 Outbreak


    MM Jalal Uddin1, Mohammad Tariqul Alam2, Helal Uddin Ahmed3, Niaz Mohammad Khan4,
    Surazit Kumar Talukder5
    1Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2Associate
    Professor, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 3Associate Professor, Department of
    Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 4Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, National
    Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 5Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Neurosciences
    and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    [Received: 26 March 2020; Accepted: 2 April 2020; Published: 25 April 2020]

    TO THE EDITORS,

    WHO and public health authorities around the


    globe are taking action to contain the COVID-19
    outbreak. However, this time of crisis is generating
    stress among the people. These mental health
    considerations were developed by the Mental
    Health Department as support for mental and
    psychological well-being during COVID-19
    outbreak.

    The Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) used


    the term ‘mental health and psychosocial support’ Figure I: Intervention pyramid for mental health
    (MHPSS) in Emergency Settings to describe ‘any and psychosocial support
    type of local or outside support that aims to protect
    or promote psychosocial well-being and/or prevent
    In any epidemic, it is common for individuals to
    or treat mental health condition’. The global
    feel stressed and worried. Common responses of
    humanitarian system uses the term MHPSS to unite
    people affected (both directly and indirectly) might
    a broad range of actors responding to emergencies
    include; fear of ill and dying, losing livelihoods,
    such as the COVID-19 outbreak. The IASC
    quarantine, separated from loved ones and
    Guidelines for MHPSS in Emergency Settings
    caregivers. Other than fear avoiding approaching
    recommends that multiple levels of interventions be
    health facilities and refusal to care for separated
    integrated within outbreak response activities.
    minors. Any emergency is stressful, but some
    These levels align with a spectrum of mental health
    specific stressors like risk of being infected and
    and psychosocial needs and are represented in a
    infecting others, common symptoms of other
    pyramid of interventions (Figure I) ranging from
    infection can be mistaken for COVID-19, worried
    embedding social and cultural considerations in
    for children, risk of physical and mental health of
    basic services, to providing specialized services for
    special population like older adults, disabled people
    individuals with more severe conditions. Core
    are particular to COVID-19 affect people. Persons
    principles include: do no harm, promote human
    who are directly involve to the care of COVID-19
    rights and equality, use participatory approaches,
    affected experience additional stressor during
    build on existing resources and capacities, adopt
    outbreak. Constant fear, worry, uncertainties and
    multi-layered interventions and work with
    stressors in population during COVID-19 outbreak
    integrated support systems.

    Bangladesh J Infect Dis 45 April 2020│ Volume 7│Number Suppl_1


    MHPSS in COVID-19 Outbreak Uddin et al

    can lead to long term consequences within families, resources, to set up/contribute to a system for the
    vulnerable individuals and communities. Among identification and provision of care to people with
    the consequences deterioration of social network, common and severe mental health conditions and
    local dynamics, economics, stigma towards substance abuse disorders; establish a MHPSS
    surviving patients resulting in rejection by strategy for COVID-19 cases, survivors, contacts,
    communities, anger, aggression, mistrust, sleep family members, frontline workers and the broader
    disturbance, developing or aggravating mental community, with special attention to the needs of
    health and substance abuse disorders. On the other special or/and vulnerable groups ; integrate mental
    hand some people may have positive experiences, health and psychosocial considerations into all
    such as pride about finding ways of coping and response activities; ensure that accurate information
    resilience. Community members often show great about COVID-19 is readily available and accessible
    altruism and cooperation, and people may to frontline workers; patients infected with COVID-
    experience great satisfaction from helping others. 19, as well as community members. train all
    frontline; referral pathway for persons with mental
    MHPSS approaches need to evolve and adapt to the health conditions is activated between all sectors
    needs of each population affected by COVID-19 involved; develop activity toolkits that parents,
    and at different times of the outbreak. (i.e. before, teachers and families can use with their children in
    during and after high infection rates). isolation, including messages on preventing the
    spread of the disease such as hand washing games
    Preparedness will considerably improve and & rhymes; establish opportunities for the bereaved
    accelerate the response at the onset of an outbreak. to mourn in a way that does not compromise public
    Countries where the epidemic hasn’t yet spread health strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19
    need to prepare a possible MHPSS response. Such but reflects the traditions and rituals of the
    countries should use the current response to the community; establish measures to reduce the
    COVID-19 outbreak, and MHPSS work done negative impact of social isolation in quarantine
    during previous outbreaks, to guide their sites. in the early recovery phase, support health
    preparation. Understanding and addressing mental authorities to establish sustainable and community-
    health and psychosocial considerations will be key based mental health and psychosocial services and
    to stopping trans-mission and preventing the risk of establish monitoring, evaluation, accountability and
    long-term repercussion on the population’s learning mechanisms to measure effective MHPSS
    wellbeing and capacity to cope with adversity. This activities.
    includes the integration of MHPSS approaches and
    activities within community strategies, community Social stigma and discrimination can be associated
    outreach, case identification and contact tracing, as with COVID-19, including towards persons who
    well as activities at health facilities and quarantine have infected, their family members and health care
    sites.Mental health interventions should be carried and other frontline workers. Steps must be taken to
    out within general health services (including address stigma and discrimination at all phases of
    primary health care (PHC)) and could in addition be COVID-19 emergency response.
    organized in other pre-existing structures in the
    community, such as schools, community centers, There are several interventions recommended by
    youth and senior centers. The mental health and IASC.
    wellbeing of frontline workers needs to be
    addressed and supported. Healthcare workers, case Intervention 1: Helping older adults cope with
    identifiers, workers involved in dead body stress during the COVID-19 outbreak
    management, and many other staff and volunteers Intervention 2: Supporting the needs of people with
    need to be provided with ongoing MHPSS both disabilities during COVID-19 outbreak
    during and after the outbreak. Intervention 3: Messages and activities for helping
    children deal with stress during the COVID-19
    Globally recommended some activities key outbreak
    activities that should be implemented as part of the Intervention 4: MHPSS activities for adults in
    response to COVID-19 are rapid assessment of the isolation/quarantine
    context and of culturally specific MHPSS issues, Intervention 5: Supporting people working in the
    needs and available re-sources; strengthen MHPSS COVID-19 response
    coordination by facilitating collaboration between Intervention 6: Community MHPSS messages
    MHPSS agencies, government and other partners; during the COVID-19 outbreak
    use information from gender sensitive assessments,
    including identified needs, gaps and existing

    Bangladesh J Infect Dis 46 April 2020│ Volume 7│Number Suppl_1


    MHPSS in COVID-19 Outbreak Uddin et al

    References Correspondence: Dr. MM Jalal Uddin, Associate Professor,


    Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Neurosciences
    and Hospital, Sher E Bangla, Agargaon, Dhaka 1207,
    1. World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Health Bangladesh; Email: jalal29march@yahoo.com; Cell no.:
    Consideration during COVID-19 Outbreak. WHO, 2020. +8801716772020
    2. IASC Interim Briefing Notes Addressing Mental Health and Conflict of interest: All authors have no competing interests.
    Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak. Version 1.5 How to cite this article: Uddin MMJ, Alam MT, Ahmed HU,
    3. Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). IASC Guidelines Khan NM, Talukder SK. Mental Health and Psychosocial
    on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Support (MHPSS) in COVID-19 Outbreak. Bangladesh J Infect
    Settings. IASC: Geneva, 2007. Dis 2020;7(suppl_1):S45-S47
    4. IASC Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Copyright: ©2020. Uddin et al. Published by Bangladesh
    Support in Emergency Settings. Mental Health and Journal of Infectious Diseases. This article is published under
    Psychosocial Support in Ebola Virus Disease Outbreaks: A the Creative Commons CC BY-NC License
    Guide for Public Health Programme Planners. IASC: Geneva, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). This license
    2015 permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,
    provided the original work is properly cited, and is not used for
    [Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases, April commercial purposes.
    2020;7(suppl_1):S45-S47]

    Bangladesh J Infect Dis 47 April 2020│ Volume 7│Number Suppl_1

    You might also like