KATHMANDU 10 Oct, 2020: On World Mental Health Day, the United Nations in Nepal joins everyone, including the Government and development partners, civil society, communities and families, to urgently strengthen actions to mitigate the deteriorating mental health situation among the Nepali population.

As Nepal continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, suicides among adolescent girls, already an issue of concern, have increased by almost 40 per cent during the first four months of nationwide lockdown compared to the previous year, according to the Nepal Police.

This data suggests that there are other gender related issues aggravating the mental health of adolescent girls. It highlights the urgency required for everyone to act before girls and boys in Nepal turn their helplessness into self-harm.

There have been a number of initiatives taken by the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens in recent years. The UN also welcomes the recent message from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who expressed concerns regarding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and called for mass awareness on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing for the general public.

This urgent call for action comes at time where there are multiple levels of needs, from awareness raising to strategic and rapid investments in specialized and non-specialized mental health care. According to the July 2020 findings of UNICEF Child and Family Tracker household survey, 49 per cent of families reported an increase in stress levels since the lockdown, mainly related to concerns about their capacity to support their children.

At the same time, the mental health of the most vulnerable in the population is especially of concern as they are particularly susceptible to uncertainty, isolation and stress.

The UN stands by the Government of Nepal and all relevant stakeholders as concerted efforts are made to increase the investment in mental health promotion, prevention of disorders, treatment and rehabilitation at the federal, provincial and local levels, so that mental health and psychosocial services become easily available and accessible for all.

Building a cohesive, thriving post-COVID 19 Nepal requires all of us, policy makers, development partners, health professionals and families to make stronger commitments and investments into the well-being of our communities.

We must also jointly address the stigma around mental health and seeking mental health services.