An external independent mid-term evaluation of the “Mental Health and Substance Use Strategy for Lebanon 2015-2020” was conducted with the following objectives:

• To assess the level of the implementation of the strategy and the progress towards the achievement of the expected results
• To asses the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation through examining conducive factors as well as challenges that need to be addressed.
• To provide recommendations for the effective and efficient implementation and monitoring of the remaining part of the strategy towards mental health reform.

To read the executive summary of the report, click on the link below:
Executive summary of the external mid-term evaluation report of the Lebanon National Mental Health Strategy

To read the full report, click on the link below:
Report of the external mid-term evaluation of the Lebanon National Mental Health Strategy Map of organizations providing substance use and rehabilitation services in Lebanon

Substance use and rehabilitation services map- Lebanon
 

To view the action plan which is under implementation, click: here If you are a relief frontliner on the ground, these tips are to help you support others! Download brief  

 كيفية دعم شخص ما بعد حدث صادم نصائح تستند إلى الإسعافات النفسية الأولية: تحميل الارشادات Recommendations on how to help children cope with a traumatic event: 

Click to download:   English   /   Arabic Helpful tips for OBGYN and midwives when supporting women who are pregnant or women who have recently given birth (around he time of Beirut explosion).

Click to dowload: English / Arabic Directory of mental health professionals for mental health support for persons affected by Beirut explosion:

• Framework and application criteria: English / Arabic
• Application form: Link

This action plan was developed as part of the national response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It aims at comprehensively addressing the MHPSS aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon for all persons living in the country. It was developed by the MOPH-National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) with WHO and UNICEF, in line with the IASC Briefing note on addressing mental health and psychosocial aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak- version 1.0 and the local needs, health system and national mental health strategy. 
 
Goals:

1. Promote mental health and mitigate COVID-19 related stressors including stigma and discrimination against persons affected and health workers.
2. Provide mental health support to the persons in quarantine in the hospital or at home and their families.
3. Support the mental health of health workers and first responders in the response.
4. Ensure continuity of mental health care for persons using mental health services in line with IPC guidelines.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) through the National Mental Health Programme, UNICEF, UNDP, the World Health Organization and Abaad have joined forces together to break the stigma associated with the novel corona virus (COVID-19), in line with the nation action plan for the MHPSS response to COVID-19. Under the slogan “#TheRealTest”, the national campaign was launched on several TV outlets with a synchronized introduction of primetime news.

For more information on the campaign: Press release (Eng) / Press release (Ar)

Check out:

• Campaign launch with synchronized introduction of prime time news:  Watch
• Campaign feature film: Watch
• Messages of Hope from Celebrities:

Watch Assi El Hellani	Watch Claudia Marchelian	Watch Wissam Breidy
Watch Halima Tabia	Watch Mohammad Kais	Watch Raneem Bou Zakhem
Watch Pierre Rabat

 

• Stories of solidarity from the community:
  • From Safad El Batikh 
  • From Zahleh
  • From Barja

 

• Tipsheet for media professionals on coverage of COVID-19: Download Arabic / Download English

    Checklist for nursing teams on taking care of the mental health of patients in quarantine: Click here

Patient leaflet on coping with stress during quarantine: Click here

Poster for quarantines: Click here


     

    

In line with the national mental health strategy for Lebanon, the National Mental Health Programme Lebanon - at the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has jointly developed with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Lebanon the Maternal Mental Health Guidelines through the support of Embassy of Canada to Lebanon. 

These guidelines intend to promote the growth of a sustainable mental health practice that ensures access to high-quality mental health services.  It is also intended to serve as a guiding tool to professionals in the public health system with the sole purpose of supporting Maternal and Child Mental Health.

Maternal Mental Health Guidelines for Healthcare Providers
  The National Mental Health Programme in the Ministry of Public Health with the support of the World Health Organization developed a Practical Guide for Media Professionals on the Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Use. The guide is designed to be used by journalists, news reporters, anchors, television shows hosts, social media bloggers, script writers and other media professionals. It is contextualized and culturally adapted to the media scene in Lebanon so as to answer questions related to mental health and substance use. The guide helps media professionals produce successful media outputs on mental health and substance use. It was prepared based on findings from interviews with media professionals which aimed to explore their needs and the challenges they face when addressing mental health and substance use topics.

Practical Guide for Media Professionals on the Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Use  The aim of these Accreditation Standards is to improve the quality of care and to ensure the protection of Human Rights for persons in Residential Substance Use Rehabilitation facilities in Lebanon. They have been developed in line with strategic objective 2.3.2 of the “Inter-ministerial Substance Use Response Strategy for Lebanon 2016-2021”, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and reviewed by local and international experts in the field.
 
Accreditation standards for residential substance use rehabilitation programmes -Lebanon 2019  The “Guide for the rational prescription of medications for priority mental and neurological conditions for specialists in the public health system” constitutes a reference document for evidence-based and culturally appropriate decision-making for pharmacological treatment of priority mental and neurological conditions. This guide is based on the “National List of Psychotropic and Neurological Medications for Humanitarian Response, v2.0” which was developed to harmonize the procurement and provision of medications amongst all actors. In addition, a separate list of medical tests needed to monitor the side effects of these medications (as per the guide) is available in English and French.
In line with the continuum of care, this guide advocates for the rational medication prescription based on the national list and highlights the importance of the psychosocial component in the treatment of mental and neurological conditions as part of the holistic person-centred care.
This guide was made possible through the fruitful collaboration between the MOPH and the World Health Organization. The process of development encompassed two rounds of technical review from experts at local and international levels.
The guide is available in English and French.
 
Psychotropic Medication guide- English
Guide des medicaments Psychotropes- Francais
  As part of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Task Force (MHPSS TF) action plan set every year to address challenges faced in MHPSS work, recruitment criteria for mental health professionals working in the humanitarian field were developed with the aim of ensuring that professionals with the minimum needed qualifications are employed.
These criteria are recommended to use by all organizations operating in this field in Lebanon

To download the recruitment criteria, please click on the link below:
Recruitment Criteria for Professionals Working in Mental Health in Humanitarian Settings-V.1
 

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), launched the fourth National Awareness Campaign on Mental Health “Mental Health in the Workplace” with the slogan “Don’t miss the opportunity” “ما تضيعوا الفرصة”, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), ABAAD, ACTED, Ecole Supérieure des Affaires (ESA), Human Resources Association of Lebanon (HRAL), International Medical Corps (IMC), Médecins du Monde (MDM), and SKOUN, through an official launching event at ESA Business School (Auditorium Fattal) on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The campaign was the launching pad of the “National Initiative for Mental Health in the Workplace”, which aims to support employers in ensuring mentally healthy workplaces for them, their teams and their business to thrive.

Read the press release of the national mental health campaign 2019
 
Read the MOPH’s speech
 
Watch the short video of the Launching event: Link
 
Watch the video of the Campaign: Link 
  "Time to talk"

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), launched the third National Awareness Campaign on Mental Health “Time_To_Talk” “صار_وقت_نحكي”, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), ABAAD, International Medical Corps (IMC), and Medecins du Monde, through an official launching event open to the public in Nejmeh Square in the capital’s centre on Friday September 14, 2018. The campaign extended for a month until October 10, 2018, World Mental Health Day. The aim of the campaign is to encourage persons to speak about mental health anytime and anywhere and to encourage people to listen and support persons when they need to seek care.

Read the press release of the national mental health campaign 2018:
Press release
 
Watch the campaign awareness video: 
"Time to talk"
 
Watch the short documentary on public perception of mental health: 
Public perception of mental health

Watch the overview of the National Mental Health Launching event: 
National Mental Health Launching event

Watch the Mental Health Testimonials:
Mental Health Testimonials

Check out the campaign key messages:







  "Depression: Let's Talk About It to Get Out of It"

The Ministry of Public Health launched on April 7 the National Mental Health Campaign 2017  "Depression: Let's Talk About IT to Get Out of It" on the occasion of World Health Day. 

Watch the campaign awareness video: 
Read the informational brochure about depression:


Informational Brochure-Depression

View the list of Primary Health Care Centres and university hospitals where you can access mental health services:
 

• List of Primary Health Care Centres in the MOPH network providing services in mental health- v1.1 
• List of University Hospitals providing services in mental health collaborating in the campaign

View the poster of the campaign:
Poster- Depression 

Watch the Documentary about "Mental Health in Lebanon: Vision and Achievements"
 

  "My Mental Health is my Right"

The Ministry of Public Health launched on November 10, 2015, the National Mental Health Campaign 2015 "My Mental Health is my Right". 

Watch the campaign awareness video: 
"My Mental Health is my right"

Read the informational brochure about mental health:
Informational Brochure- My Mental Health is my Right

Read the press release of the national mental health campaign 2015:
Press release

 

The Ministry of Public Health-National Mental Health Programme held in February 2019 a high-level national stakeholder meeting to present the results and recommendations of the midterm evaluation of the National Mental Health Strategy for Lebanon (2015-2020) conducted by two international experts in global mental health, with the support of the World Health Organization. The meeting brought together around 130 persons from all stakeholders groups in Lebanon: Governmental, non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies, professional associations, healthcare facilities, health professionals, academicians, and persons with lived experience.

To learn more about the event, watch this video: Link What progress has been made in strengthening the evidence base on effective mental health and psychosocial support approaches in humanitarian contexts and translating this into good practice? What are the barriers to implementing MHPSS interventions for people affected by humanitarian crises? Panellists in this discussion discuss these questions drawing on articles in the latest issue of Humanitarian Exchange magazine and their own research and experience. Representing the MOPH Lebanon-National Mental Health Programme, Nour Kik discusses the mental health response to the Syrian crisis in Lebanon, with a focus on mental health and psychosocial support coordination.
 
To watch the panel click on the following link: Link Watch the Documentary about the vision of the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon for mental health and the achievements that have been done so far to reform the mental health system in the country in collaboration with different stakeholders. 
  " Ask the Policy Expert" webinars are a series of webinars organized by the Mental Health Innovation Network to discuss each major objective of the WHO’s comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020, to learn more about the approaches used by policy makers to implement mental health programs and how policy makers are aiming to achieve the action plan targets.
Dr Rabih El Chammay, Head of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Lebanon, was invited to participate in the first episode of the webinar series to talk about the NMHP launched in May 2014 by the MOPH in Lebanon with the support of WHO, UNICEF and International Medical Corps (IMC).

http://www.mhinnovation.net/new-series-ask-policy-expert-dr-rabih-el-chammay-lebanon
 

 
For further details, check out Circular 22 here: English / Arabic
To submit an application, please fill this form:
Application to Conduct Research in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support and/or Substance Use in Lebanon-Form


 

The lifeline 1564, the national hotline for psychological support and suicide prevention, in partnership with Embrace (available 24/7)
 
The National Lifeline is a hotline that provides a safe space for anyone experiencing severe psychological distress or having thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life to talk to people who will listen. Lifeline staff are trained and supervised by mental health professionals and provide:
 

• Actively listening to the caller.
• Providing psychological and moral support.
• Assessing the severity of suicidal thoughts and providing support in reducing the risk of suicide.
• Directing the caller when needed to mental health services available in Lebanon.

Step by Step is a free and confidential psychological support program for people experiencing stress and difficult emotions, available through an application or the website. Users receive weekly psychological support through the program over the phone from trained people, for a period of 5 weeks. The Step by Step program is managed by the National Mental Health Programme at the Ministry of Public Health, and is currently provided as a free service aimed at helping people living in Lebanon obtain psychological support. You can access the application by scanning this QR code with your phone:

  Step-by-Step (SBS) - Link Discover evidence-based self-help strategies and techniques to manage stress and promote well-being. What is the SH+ Podcast?

The SH+ Podcast is based on a five-session stress management training programme developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for groups (approximately 30 people at a time). The key skills from the programme have been extracted, shortened, re-recorded and turned into a five-episode audio podcast that you can listen to whenever you want!

In these five episodes, you will learn practical tools and exercises to manage stress, and everyday sources of stress, to promote well-being.

The SH+ Podcast also features an accompanying video guide, “Doing What Matters in Times of Stress”. The guide adds a unique visual experience, provides a deeper understanding of the concepts covered in the episodes and ensures that you get the most out of each episode. Click here to get the video guide in Arabic and English.

In addition to the National Mental Health Programme podcast episodes. Click here for a summary of the mental health services available in Lebanon and provided by the National Mental Health Programme.
Who is Where, When, doing What (4Ws) in Mental Health, Psychosocial and Protection Support in Jordan - Interventions Mapping Exercise (March - April 2012)

Who is Doing What, Where and When (4Ws) in Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Jordan - Interventions Mapping Exercise, October 2014

The “4Ws” in Lebanon: Who’s doing What, Where and Until When in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support - Interventions Mapping Exercise
A list of mental health and psychosocial support services in Lebanon is available through an online platform hosted by the National Mental Health Programme at the Ministry of Public Health and can be accessed through this link. You can access the platform by scanning this QR code with your phone:
A series of videos on self-care presented by the National Mental Health Program and the World Health Organization in Lebanon. In this series, you will discover the concept of self-care and the impact of stress on mental health, and learn techniques and exercises to help you deal with stress, especially related to the work environment.
In the past months, the increased escalations of violent attacks, airstrikes, and bombings in Lebanon have resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries, missing persons, displacement and a lot of sadness, grief, pain, and anxiety in people living in Lebanon. Health systems have been responding at full capacity, yet resources are limited, and the needs are immense.
 
The National Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Task Force chaired by the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and co-chaired by WHO and UNICEF, and together with the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) have developed the National Multisectoral MHPSS Emergency Response Plan. The development of this emergency plan was done through a consultative process where local and international mental health partners’ feedback was collected and integrated. The NMHP, WHO and UNICEF have been coordinating, implementing, and monitoring the activities of this emergency plan across sectors and levels of care.
 
The emergency plan remains as a live document subjected to continuous updating as the situation unfolds.
 
Emergency Response Resources
  WHO-AIMS REPORT ON MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IN LEBANON

  Atlas 2017 - English
 
Atlas Lebanon 2017
  CMR Facilities – May 2024
  Mobile Crisis Team
  Link to Guiding Documents for Capacity Building PHCCs List with Psychiatrist Sept 24, 2024
 
Where can you find affordable _ free mental health services in Lebanon_ Flyer-AR-Digital-NMHP
 
Where can you find affordable _ free mental health services in Lebanon_ Flyer-EN-Digital-NMHP
  Laws and Regulations Link Mental Health Campaigns, National - Link  Mental Health Conditions, Awareness - Link  Mental Health Diploma - Link  Mental Health Professionals - Link  National Strategy and Related Documents - Link Newsletters - Link Psychotropic Medications - Link Research and Publications - Link Response to National Emergencies (i.e. Beirut Blast, COVID-19, etc.) - Link Substance Use - Link Suicide - Link Syrian Crisis - Link Videos - Link