Not An ‘Either/Or’: Integrating Mental Health And Psychosocial Support Within Non-Communicable Disease Prevention And Care In Humanitarian Response

Abstract

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, mental ill-health and chronic respiratory diseases – are highly prevalent in humanitarian settings. In 2017, NCDs accounted for 24 to 68 percent of the mortality in migrants from the most common countries of migrant origin, consisting of Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia [1]. About one-fifth of those living in humanitarian settings suffer from mental ill-health, such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder [2].