The Experience and Challenges of Applying Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

Abstract

In crisis and post-crisis settings, needs for mental health and psychosocial support are complex and interlinked: they encompass the individual and collective psychological, social, and mental health experiences of crisis-affected persons and communities, the state of community relationships, environmental resources, and the models of support. To respond holistically to this complexity, international practice applies the combined approach of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (hereinafter, MHPSS), which prioritizes and concentrates on resilience and recovery instead of vulnerability, and offers a layered, stage by stage, cross-sectoral, and interprofessional framework of support.

Although widely used internationally, in Armenia MHPSS entered the agenda during the forced displacement from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). Drawing on an analysis of international experience and documents, as well as expert surveys and key-informant interviews, this article both provides a detailed description of MHPSS—addressing gaps in information—and maps the experience of applying MHPSS in Armenia, identifying obstacles and opportunities. The main results include, on the one hand, presentation of the MHPSS pyramid, the scope of professional activity and proposing service design types; and, on the other hand, documentation of the expanding national debate on MHPSS as a positive shift, while underscoring the need for intersectoral cooperation and for policies and services co-designed with the meaningful participation of affected communities. The article also highlights new research questions that require in-depth follow-up studies.