Mental health in COVID-19 times
Red Cross and Red Crescent teams continue providing psychosocial support to people struggling with grief, loneliness and stress in Europe — amid growing pandemic fatigue
“Children and adults, we are all affected by the coronavirus emergency in one way or the other. Increased efforts are needed to address mental health issues and pandemic fatigue. We must do our part to help the most vulnerable, boost people’s coping mechanisms and make sure everyone can access mental health and psychosocial support services” — IFRC’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Delegate for Europe, Antónia de Barros Mota
Living with the pandemic almost two years on
With the health crisis far from over and its socioeconomic impacts affecting millions of people in Europe (and worldwide), many are struggling with increased mental health problems: grief, loneliness, anxiety, depression… Pandemic fatigue is also increasingly widespread.
The Red Cross Red Crescent network has been at the forefront of the response to the emergency from day one, providing a wide range of mental health services face-to-face and remotely, in fixed locations and through mobile teams, in disasters, along different migration routes and in conflict areas.
Now, staff and volunteers continue to scale up psychosocial support services across the region, to ensure the most vulnerable can reach them.
Tackling loneliness
Loneliness can affect anyone, anywhere, particularly amid COVID-19 restrictions: an older adult who has lost their closest family members or friends, a single parent without a support network, young people and children[i], especially if they haven’t been able to go back to school or see friends.
In Denmark, the ‘Visiting service’ helps people who are feeling lonely — and some of them have even become volunteers themselves. Like Egon, who is 87 years old. When his wife Sonja passed away, the house they had shared for 59 years suddenly felt empty, so he asked Danish Red Cross to send him a ‘visiting friend’. Not much later, he became a ‘visiting friend’ himself.
As part of ongoing efforts to tackle the loneliness thousands of people feel, Danish Red Cross launched another initiative in May: they set up red benches across the country to encourage people to sit down and chat, with volunteers available for conversations with those interested. ‘Get a snack so you are not alone’ was the motto of this initiative — which proved to be successful.
24/7 support for longer term impacts
The COVID-19 crisis is having direct consequences on health. Across Europe, more than 70 million people have fallen ill and one million have tragically lost their lives, which in turn has left holes in our communities and families.
But, alongside this, people have also been impacted by loss of education, job employment or other opportunities — and uncertainty about what the future holds. These socioeconomic impacts continue to trickle down and will be felt for many years to come.
To assist those in need any time, wherever they may be located, many National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies throughout Europe set up 24/7 hotlines at the outset of the pandemic — from Portugal to Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia and Armenia, among other countries. These services continue to very important as rising numbers of people are struggling with bereavement, isolation or acute stress.
Spanish Red Cross established that service more than a year ago (Cruz Roja Te Escucha or ‘Red Cross Listens to You’), with thousands of calls received to date. People who are on the other end of the phone are trained to use active listening skills and help the person relax and share their concerns and fears, referring them to specialized assistance if needed. Elisa is among the volunteers taking care of the service. “Many people come to us crying and desperate, but they hang up calm, serene, grateful,” she explained.
Building resilience in emergencies
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped population movements, and it is important that mental health and psychosocial support services are available for both migrants — irrespective of legal status — and host communities.
In the Balkans, local Red Cross teams often provide those services through mobile teams. In Greece, staff and volunteers from Hellenic Red Cross run psychosocial support activities in camps like Kara Tepe, in Lesbos island.
In Turkey, where there are more than 2.4 million people under temporary and international protection, Turkish Red Crescent is working with communities to help give them the support they need and the right coping strategies to stay resilient in these difficult times. This includes providing one-to-one sessions, support groups and psychoeducation sessions — thanks to the support of the German Red Cross, through funding from the European Union and the German government. Children have also received psychosocial support through the Turkish Red Crescent community centres.
Disasters continue to occur, too, whether they be climate or conflict related. Mental health and psychosocial support need to be a key component of the humanitarian response to these emergencies, as affected people often lose family members, properties and livelihoods.
IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) provides quick support to teams on the ground in those situations, with mental health and psychosocial support as part of the core activities — taking all necessary COVID-19 precautions. It was the case when devastating floods hit Tajikistan last May, for example, or following the earthquake in Croatia at the end of December 2020, when an Emergency Appeal was also launched.[ii]
We’ll be there for as long as we are needed
As time passes, pandemic fatigue increases. It is a public health issue, considering not only its mental health implications but also people’s adherence to COVID-19 restrictions. That is why the IFRC launched a Community Engagement First Aid Kit[iii] for Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers, with tips on how to revitalize their community engagement approaches to overcome pandemic fatigue.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus emergency, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have provided psychosocial support to more than 2.3 million people in Europe with support from the IFRC, and studies suggest there will be a significant, long-term increase in demand for these services.
Mental health matters, and further action is needed to address the far-reaching impacts of the pandemic.
[i] https://www.ifrc.org/press-release/red-cross-red-crescent-warns-devastating-impacts-covid-19-pandemic-children-and-young-people-europe
[ii] https://www.ifrc.org/emergency/croatia-petrinja-earthquake
[iii] https://communityengagementhub.org/resource/the-pandemic-fatigue-first-aid-kit/
Photos: Alicia Melville-Smith / British Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Lithuanian Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, Alex Casas, Turkish Red Crescent, Croatian Red Cross, Nora Peter / IFRC
Story: Ainhoa Larrea, IFRC
