---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:mental-health"
type: "GovLab topic page"
title: "Mental health and emotional wellbeing"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/mental-health"
summary: "What innovative and cost effective solutions can governments and communities implement to support the mental health needs of specific and general populations caused or exacerbated by the pandemic?"
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Mental health and emotional wellbeing

What innovative and cost effective solutions can governments and communities implement to support the mental health needs of specific and general populations caused or exacerbated by the pandemic?

[RECOMMENDATIONS MEMO](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DzmSxBT6rqoewafUMNmdEHmjYREZ0bLnqr4JCIP1ZgE/edit?usp=sharing) [CONFERENCE TAKEAWAYS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vusJVfOjlWdw04VuPJ66yzhc9-slrXAXSJ_Do_YbrgE/edit?usp=sharing)

## DESCRIPTION

Large-scale disasters are frequently accompanied by spikes in mental health issues and ripple effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, behavioral disorders, child abuse, and domestic violence. These issues affect specific members of society including frontline health workers, ill individuals, families of ill individuals, essential workers, the unemployed and underemployed, and the general population who are isolated and/or quarantined. Governments are ill-equipped to respond to the mental-health consequences catalyzed by the pandemic: the large numbers of deaths, the toll of quarantine and social isolation, and the psychosocial consequences of economic recession and loss. We are looking for innovative, cost-effective ways to remedy this deficit.

[READ THE PROBLEM DESCRIPTION](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tWevzRVhcJjbidPHktAvXNWnZFXnCpB2O-2_2EK1apE/edit?usp=sharing) [READ THE REGIONAL REPORT](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mcZx4VjYLrFdKmO9jvCKIEGpIKNtZQHYDyhVtXpZCKk/edit) [AGENDA AND LOGISTICS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I3Ef_eH3dydwLkrx9DwP7GoIdkxp8UK6Tp6A2WqrpoA/edit?usp=sharing) [EXPERTS AND PARTICIPANTS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Sqm24sXM5StmQswS4Qac3_K6KQU2fjtCVyiaJ-yKMdU/edit?usp=sharing)

## RECOMMENDATION

[

Government capacity and regulatory environment

Improve legislative and regulatory frameworks for mental health services.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/government-capacity-and-regulatory-environment)

[

Data and Technology

Use digital technologies and data to and expand access to mental health services and improve service delivery.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/data-and-technology)

[

Increase provider capacity

Increase provider capacity through innovations in training opportunities and strategies to expand the workforce supply.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/increase-provider-capacity)

[EXPLORE THE RECOMMENDATIONS](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations)