Covid-19 Archives - Hume O'Neill Peace Blog

On 29 September 2021, the Chair gave a keynote address entitled “Individual and Collective Recovery from Human-Caused Disasters: Lessons from Political Violence Around the Globe”. The keynote was delivered to the Institute for Disasters Mental Health Conference which this year had the theme of “From 9/11 to Covid-19, Lessons from Two Decades of Disaster Responses”.

This IDMH conference, hosted by State University of New York (Online), brought together a roster of expert presenters from across the US to review how much has been learned about incorporating mental health needs into emergency response, and to look ahead to where we can. Professor Hamber’s keynote explored lessons from managing political violence for mental health in disaster settings.

Professor Brandon Hamber, Hume O’Neill Chair, has published a new piece in Belfast Telegraph.

In my work dealing with the impact of political violence, a constant challenge is reminding people that when addressing survivors’ needs during times of conflict, it is the social context that is often the primary stressor. For example, as much as therapy for victims of conflict is useful, its value is limited if the conflict’s legacy persists and the social environment is destroyed.

You also cannot think about conflict without understanding that it has differential impacts. In Northern Ireland, for example, the neighbourhoods with the highest conflict death rate are those with the highest levels of poverty. When it comes to addressing the mental health impact of Covid-19, it seems we have a similar situation. We are acting as if the pandemic is only a medical problem, a behavioural issue (wear your mask, wash your hands, socially distance) and finally, a psychological question of coping mentally.

Continue reading on Medium, link.