Collective mental health and community care in times of pandemic

Juan Carlos Cea Madrid^[1]

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in recent history. As a country, Chile is facing a new situation, and recommendations for mental health care are a priority these days. Traditional mental health approaches have focused on individual-centered treatments, aiming to promote adaptive functioning. While this approach can be useful, it often fails to consider the social environment and contextual factors that affect the mental health of communities. Today, with societal life disrupted, a collective mental health perspective allows us to view current challenges through a different lens.

Various studies have described how work overload, precarious employment, economic uncertainty, gender inequalities in the distribution of caregiving responsibilities, and gender-based violence constitute structural factors that affect the mental health of large segments of the population. In the current scenario, these structural factors have become particularly evident, even amplified by remote work and education, domestic chores and children's schoolwork at home, mass layoffs and business closures, among other social factors. Furthermore, extended periods at home and prolonged confinement have altered our family routines, highlighting the importance of work-life balance as key factors in our well-being.

While the various expressions of collective discontent under the slogan “Chile woke up” since October 2019 have allowed us to understand the social, political, cultural, and economic factors involved in the field of mental health, the current exceptional situation compels us to consider the extent to which shared, often overwhelming and imposed, living conditions affect the well-being of citizens. In this context, collective mental health, as a critical discipline, aims to understand the influence of social factors on the sphere of subjectivity and to promote an approach that focuses not only on individual responses but also on collective action.

In this context, I would like to briefly describe a collective mental health initiative that has updated its working method to address isolation and individualism in times of pandemic.

In recent weeks, the use of digital platforms has helped to build bridges of communication to celebrate birthdays, share lunches and visit older adults, among other activities, also to maintain academic activities, develop work meetings and, very importantly, give continuity to mutual support groups based on peer support.

In order to maintain social connections during quarantine, the collective “Autogestión libre-mente” (Freely Self-Management) – a community mental health group founded in 2014 that holds weekly meetings and various workshops at the Ailanto cultural center in Santiago and organized the first “Crazy Pride” marches in Latin America – has been holding regular virtual meetings to share experiences that help its members cope with confinement and alleviate the loneliness of isolation. Participation has been successful; the number of meetings has increased to two or three times a week thanks to the virtual format, and it has even strengthened communication channels at the national and Latin American levels, overcoming geographical distances and the limitations of in-person attendance.

To publicize this work, the collective “Free-Mind Self-Management” and the Center for Mad Studies convened a series of talks under the title “Crazy care during quarantine” On April 17th and 24th, a free event open to the community brought together people who wanted to participate in a space for peer dialogue and share strategies for addressing the subjective impact of the social and health crisis. During this event, various recommendations based on firsthand experience were shared, ranging from artistic expression to physical exercise, contributing to a holistic view of the importance of self-care and mutual support during the pandemic.

From a collective mental health perspective, these virtual communication initiatives demonstrate the importance of community ties in addressing shared problems. They also promote social contact in a context dominated by physical distancing, showing that it is both possible and necessary to maintain and create new forms of community in the current situation. Finally, they reveal that sharing with others, discussing our experiences, talking about how we are coping with our difficulties, and taking action based on the principles of solidarity and mutual support, constitute a source of well-being within the community.

Based on this experience, a collective mental health approach offers important lessons about the relevance of promoting initiatives that place community care at their center. Valuing and recognizing these alternatives contributes to rethinking the role of mental health in the near future, towards building a more just and supportive society.

^[1] Psychologist, University of Santiago, Chile. Master's in Psychology, specializing in Community Psychology, University of Chile. Active researcher at the Center for Mad Studies.

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