This World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization is focusing on “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.”  

For us, that means asking a vital question:  

How do we ensure that mental health is not left behind in the face of the climate crisis? 

Floods, heatwaves, and wildfires are no longer distant threats. They are affecting an increasing number of communities across the UK and on a global scale. When a crisis strikes, it does more than damage homes and infrastructure. It disrupts lives, livelihoods, and, crucially, mental health. The World Health Organization suggests that “around 1 in 5 people in conflict-affected areas are estimated to have a mental health condition.” 

People with mental health conditions may be vulnerable during disasters. Support networks are broken, services and medicine become harder to reach, and financial insecurity deepens. “Most people affected by emergencies experience feelings of anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, sleep issues, fatigue, irritability, anger, or aches. This psychological distress usually improves over time, but some people go on to develop a mental health condition. An estimated 22% may have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.” (1) 

Emergencies can also worsen social issues, which include poverty and discrimination, or contribute to new issues such as family separation and harmful substance use. 

International guidelines recommend various activities for providing mental health and psychosocial support during emergencies, which include community self-help and communications to psychological first aid, and clinical mental health care.  

The World Health Organization’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Minimum Service Package (MSP) is a practical guide for governments, NGOs, and community organisations to ensure mental health is prioritised in every emergency response. The package emphasises that mental health must be integrated across all areas of a crisis response, not just health, but also education, protection, and shelter. It provides practical tools, including sector-specific quick-start guides, training resources, and an indicator bank. 

Making mental health support a core part of emergency response saves lives whilst strengthening communities and health systems’ resilience for the future. 

In England and Wales, our members play a key role in supporting people to recover. 

The Association’s members provide helplines, crisis support, and community hubs that remain a lifeline during climate and other emergencies for over 8 million people. From ensuring carers have somewhere to turn to offering peer support, often providing services based in local communities, charities play a crucial role in recovery. 

But these organisations cannot be expected to absorb growing demand alone. Climate-related crises will only increase, and with them, the need for climate and mental health understanding, resources, and training to ensure that all services can meet the needs of the population is essential. 

This is why the Association of Mental Health Providers is pleased to be a member of the Climate Minds Coalition, a coalition of leading UK mental health organisations and professional bodies calling for greater recognition and investment in how our sector can play a role in supporting the UK in the climate emergency. 

Through joint advocacy, shared resources, and raising awareness, we’re working in the coalition to: 

• Share information about how climate change impacts mental health. 

• Support professionals with the right tools to respond effectively. 

• Support and promote efforts, both within the mental health field and in communities across the UK, that strive to protect the environment and slow climate change. 

We aim to work alongside health services and political leaders to improve access to high-quality support for those affected by climate change. But the most powerful solutions will come from listening to lived experience voices, ensuring that support is built with, not just for, communities. 

References 

1. Charlson F, van Ommeren M, Flaxman A, Cornett J, Whiteford H, Saxena S. New WHO prevalence estimates of mental disorders in conflict settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2019;394(10194):240–48. (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30934-1)