Experts told me that over the past two months, adolescent suicide rates in Lebanon have climbed. Dr. Rabih Chammay, head of the National Mental Health Programme at Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, said he expects the need for mental health resources to sharply rise following a ceasefire. When people finally emerge from survival mode and begin to internalize their grief and trauma, demand for such care spikes, he explained.
We must ensure that people in conflict zones are not abandoned at the exact moment psychological trauma becomes most acute. This is why the IRC supports Lebanon’s 24/7 suicide prevention hotline. And with over a million people now displaced, it is why the IRC has scaled up support for the hotline’s Mobile Crisis Team, which is dispatched to deliver urgent psychological care to people unable to access health facilities.
Innovative tools are also helping expand reach to adolescents in Lebanon. One example is Step by Step, a free, five-week program developed by the World Health Organization and Lebanon’s National Mental Health Program. Accessible through a mobile app and complemented by weekly phone support, the program provides on-the-go care. At the same time, the IRC is scaling up Self Help Plus, a self-guided podcast series of five pre-recorded episodes based on the WHO’s evidence-based stress management program. It is designed to support individuals experiencing anxiety, stress, or depression.