Every October 10, the world observes World Mental Health Day to raise awareness and mobilise action for mental well-being. The 2025 theme, “Access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies,” could not be more urgent or relevant. In an age defined by conflict, climate change, pandemics, and economic instability, the frequency and scale of human emergencies are escalating — and with them, the silent mental health crises that unfold long after the immediate disaster fades from the news cycle. The global community, while advancing in humanitarian responses, still falls short in integrating psychological care into emergency systems. Bangladesh, a country highly vulnerable to climate and humanitarian shocks, offers both a warning and a lesson on what it means to address — or neglect — the mental health of people caught in catastrophe.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that one in five people living in conflict-affected areas experiences mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia (WHO, 2023). The United Nations reports that by 2025, more than 400 million people globally will need mental health support arising from crises — wars, forced migration, disasters, or public health emergencies (UNHCR, 2024). Yet less than 2 per cent of humanitarian health budgets are directed toward mental health services. This chronic underinvestment is not just a policy gap; it is a moral failure. Disasters not only destroy homes and infrastructures; they also devastate inner worlds.
The mental health impact of global crises is multifaceted. In conflict zones such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar, children grow up amid violence, uncertainty, and displacement. In Gaza alone, over 80 per cent of children report symptoms of depression or trauma (Save the Children, 2024). In the Horn of Africa, prolonged droughts and food insecurity have triggered widespread anxiety and suicidal behaviour, especially among farmers who have lost their livelihoods. Meanwhile, the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to manifest in collective burnout, grief, and post-traumatic stress among health workers and communities alike. Catastrophes may differ in form, but their psychological imprint is universal — fear, loss, helplessness, and the erosion of human security.
In this global picture, Bangladesh stands at a particularly vulnerable intersection. The country’s geography places it among the world’s most disaster-prone regions, facing frequent floods, cyclones, river erosion, and salinity intrusion. According to the Global Climate Risk Index (2024), Bangladesh ranks among the top ten nations most affected by extreme weather events over the past two decades. Each of these disasters leaves behind not only economic damage but also invisible psychological scars. A joint study by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and the University of Dhaka (2023) found that more than 60 per cent of survivors of the 2022 Sylhet floods reported anxiety, and nearly 40 per cent suffered from depressive symptoms six months after the disaster. Yet, fewer than 10 per cent had access to any form of psychological support.
Mental health challenges in Bangladesh are not limited to natural disasters. Industrial tragedies such as the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, which killed over 1,100 garment workers, revealed the psychological aftermath of workplace disasters. Survivors continue to struggle with PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and chronic depression, often without institutional support. Likewise, the Rohingya refugee crisis, one of the world’s largest forced displacements, has created severe mental distress among both refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar. UNICEF (2024) estimates that more than half of Rohingya adolescents show signs of severe emotional distress, yet mental health services remain severely inadequate.
The broader mental health landscape in Bangladesh remains troubling. The National Mental Health Survey (NIMH, 2023) found that around 18.7 per cent of adults and 13.6 per cent of children and adolescents suffer from mental health disorders. Despite this, mental health expenditure accounts for less than 0.5 per cent of total health spending, and there are only about 260 psychiatrists and fewer than 150 clinical psychologists serving a population of over 170 million. In rural and disaster-prone areas, access is virtually nonexistent. Cultural stigma, lack of trained personnel, and institutional neglect reinforce a cycle of silence and suffering.
In emergencies, this structural fragility becomes even more dangerous. During cyclones or floods, humanitarian response teams often focus on food, shelter, and medical relief — all necessary, yet incomplete. The absence of psychosocial care means that trauma festers. Mothers who lose children to floods, farmers whose crops are destroyed, or youth displaced from coastal areas all carry deep emotional wounds that are rarely acknowledged in recovery frameworks. Without addressing these dimensions, “rehabilitation” remains half-hearted. Mental health should not be seen as an optional humanitarian service but as an integral part of resilience and recovery.
Bangladesh has, however, made some encouraging strides. The government’s National Mental Health Policy 2022 and the ongoing Mental Health Act 2018 provide legal and strategic frameworks for integrating mental health into primary health care. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with WHO and NGOs like BRAC, has initiated community-based mental health programs, especially in disaster-prone regions. BRAC’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) initiative has trained local health workers to provide first-line counselling in emergencies. Similarly, NGOs like Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and the WAVE Foundation are introducing trauma-informed support into their humanitarian and social development programs. However, these efforts remain limited in scale and funding compared to the national need.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided an unexpected but critical lesson on the urgency of integrating mental health into crisis response. The WHO’s World Mental Health Report (2023) noted a 25 per cent global increase in depression and anxiety in the first year of the pandemic. Bangladesh saw similar trends: calls to mental health hotlines tripled, and suicides related to economic distress rose sharply. The pandemic revealed how fragile mental health infrastructures can become when societies face collective trauma. It also showed how quickly digital solutions, tele-counselling, and online therapy can expand access when properly supported.
To truly honour the 2025 World Mental Health Day theme, Bangladesh — and the world — must confront several critical truths. First, mental health services in emergencies are not a luxury; they are life-saving interventions. Second, investment in community-based, culturally sensitive mental health care must rise sharply. Third, stigma must be actively dismantled through education and advocacy. The media, civil society, and religious institutions can play transformative roles in normalising conversations about psychological well-being. Fourth, training first responders — from health workers to teachers to local volunteers — in psychological first aid should become standard practice in all disaster management plans.
Bangladesh’s success in reducing disaster-related deaths through early warning systems and community preparedness demonstrates what coordinated policy and local participation can achieve. A similar model can be applied to mental health preparedness. Just as we have cyclone shelters, we need “emotional shelters” — safe spaces for counselling, community support, and resilience building. Integrating mental health modules into the national disaster response framework, education curricula, and local governance structures would help transform mental health from a neglected issue to a mainstream development priority.
Globally, the mental health crisis in emergencies is also a test of solidarity. Wealthier nations and donors must support low- and middle-income countries to build psychological resilience alongside physical reconstruction. As the UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated in 2024, “There can be no real recovery from crises without mental recovery.” The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.4) explicitly call for the promotion of mental health and well-being, but progress remains slow. Unless global and national efforts align with genuine urgency, the world will continue to treat mental health as an afterthought to disaster — rather than its inevitable companion.
World Mental Health Day 2025 is not simply a date on the calendar; it is a reminder of our shared human fragility. In a century of constant emergencies — from cyclones to wars to pandemics — caring for minds must be seen as central to caring for humanity. For Bangladesh, a nation that has survived so many storms, the next frontier of resilience lies not only in rebuilding homes but also in healing hearts.
As the floods recede and the headlines move on, the silent suffering continues — in shelters, in villages, in the eyes of children who have seen too much. Recognising their pain and ensuring they have access to care is not charity. It is justice.
*Author: Dr Matiur Rahman is a Research Consultant at the Human Development Research Centre (HDRC). He can be reached at [email protected]. Views expressed in this article are the author's own.*
