Roles of Mental Health Treatment

Mental Health and Psychosocial Interventions

Mental health and psychosocial interventions focused on improving an individual’s well-being and social functioning play an important role in targeted violence prevention.

In some cases, interventions may include a focus on treating a psychiatric disorder. In other cases, they are focused on subclinical symptoms, such as emotional dysregulation or other behavioral issues, as well as strengthening an individual’s healthy behaviors or their social relationships.  

For those persons who are attempting to disengage from involvement in violence or extremism, it is often necessary to involve mental health and psychosocial interventions to focus on multiple dimensions including individual well-being, family support, work or school, social interactions, and interactions with service providers.  

Overall, the focus should be on helping the individual to better relate to the persons in their networks, and to better manage emotional difficulties such as anger. For many persons, involvement in extremism or violence can bring a sense of empowerment, support, and community, while disengagement can be accompanied by a sense of loss, emptiness, or distress.  For some persons, the involvement in extremism or violence has the quality of an addiction, and it can be no less difficult to extract oneself.

Mental health and psychosocial interventions can help a person reflect on the choices they have made and support them to make better choices. In that sense, interventions can help people examine their prior and current decision making regarding involvement in violence and extremism. Interventions can also help people avoid other destructive choices such as substance abuse and help them make healthier, more prosocial choices.

Interact with Service Providers 

Mental health specialists can also help the person interact productively with multiple service providers and organizations. Some persons may have difficulties accessing services or getting along with providers. In some cases, it is appropriate for mental health specialists to interact directly with these providers and organizations. For example, a mental health specialist working with a student might speak with school administrators and counselors.

Understand Social and Emotional Drivers

For some persons, mental health specialists can help individuals to examine the social and emotional processes that helped drive them towards violence and extremism. This includes experiences with prior trauma, loss, humiliation, and disempowerment. Individuals can be helped to recognize these vulnerabilities and build other capacities or resilience so that they would make different choices. Unless these processes are addressed, persons can remain vulnerable to continued involvement in violence and extremism.

Manage Stigma

Mental health specialists can help persons to manage the stigma that often accompanies involvement in violence or extremism. Persons around them may express fear, condemnation, or rejection because of their involvement in violence or extremism. On top of that, individuals may also experience involvement in mental health treatment as another form of stigma. Stigma can trigger anger or exclusion, which can set the individual up for negative reactions.   

It is always helpful to provide mental health or psychosocial support to persons in a way that is recognized by them as familiar, acceptable, and consistent with their values and practices.  Engaging known and trusted community advocates such as faith leaders can help with this. 

Persons disengaging from violence and extremism often face social isolation and exclusion. Mental health specialists can help by supporting them to build or strengthen positive relationships with family members, community advocates, faith leaders, and peers at work or school.  

The process of disengaging is not likely to be linear, and will include obstacles and setbacks. It is important to maintain hope and focus on disengagement and wellbeing.