What CIPUH's early call data reveals about access, availability, and the need for psychological support.

Mental health needs do not follow a schedule.

Anxiety can intensify late at night. Grief can become overwhelming in the early hours of the morning. A person experiencing emotional distress may decide to seek help at a moment when traditional services are unavailable.

For people in Haiti facing displacement, insecurity, economic hardship, loss, and disruption to everyday life, having someone available to listen at that moment can matter.

That is one of the lessons emerging from the early data of the Cellule d’Intervention Psychothérapeutique d’Urgence d’Haïti (CIPUH).

From limited hours to continuous support

CIPUH's emergency psychological support line provides callers with access to trained listeners and mental health professionals.

The service operates through two levels of support. Initial calls are handled by first-line listeners and trainees working with supervision. Depending on the caller's needs, the person can then be referred to a second level of assistance provided by mental health professionals identified by CIPUH as Psychologues Mentors (PSM).

One of the most significant changes during the service's early months was the transition to continuous, 24-hour availability.

The impact can already be seen in the numbers.

In February 2025, when the line operated for 12 hours each day, CIPUH recorded 160 connected calls.

By March, connected calls had increased to 273.

In April, 329 calls connected with the service,  more than double the number recorded in February.

At the same time, the number of missed calls fell dramatically. By April, CIPUH recorded only 10 missed calls.

The early data suggests something simple but important: availability can be a critical part of access.

Behind every call is a reason for reaching out

Call volume tells only part of the story.

Among the calls for which a reason was identified, the most frequently recorded concerns were difficulties associated with life events, representing 24.87% of identified cases. These included relationship and family conflicts as well as complicated grief.

Another 20.81% involved anxiety-related concerns, including generalized anxiety, panic and post-traumatic stress.

Mood-related concerns, including major depression and bipolar disorder, represented 19.29% of identified cases.

Other calls involved gender-based violence, dependency-related concerns, psychotic disorders, economic needs and requests for information about CIPUH's services.

These categories should not be understood simply as statistics. Together, they offer an early picture of the circumstances affecting people who are actively reaching out for psychological support.

Mental health support in a time of crisis

The context surrounding these calls matters.

CIPUH's April report notes that anxiety-related concerns are occurring amid continued displacement and significant human and material losses resulting from armed violence, particularly in Haiti's West and Artibonite departments.

Mental health cannot be separated from those realities.

Someone who has lost their home may also be experiencing anxiety. Someone grieving a family member may be navigating financial instability at the same time. Someone experiencing violence may need immediate emotional support before they are ready or able to access other services.

This is why emergency psychological support can become an important part of a broader humanitarian response.

Sometimes the first call is the hardest one to make

Not every person who contacted the line was immediately ready to speak.

CIPUH recorded 51 "bip" calls during April,  brief contacts that may include people testing the line or hesitating before beginning a conversation. Another 16 calls involved people who remained silent.

Those interactions are important too.

Seeking psychological support can carry fear, uncertainty or stigma. For someone in distress, calling a mental health service and speaking openly to another person may itself be a significant step.

A 24/7 service creates another opportunity to make that step when the person feels ready.

What the early data tells us

These numbers represent only an early period in CIPUH's work. One month of data cannot describe the full state of mental health in Haiti, nor should calls to one service be interpreted as representative of the entire population.

But the data can tell us something about demand for accessible psychological support.

Between February and April 2025, connected calls increased substantially while missed calls declined as the service expanded its availability.

People reached out about anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, violence, economic hardship and other challenges.

Some called during conventional working hours.

Others needed someone much later.

The underlying principle is straightforward:

A psychological emergency does not wait for an office to open.

Making mental health support available around the clock means creating the possibility that when someone decides they are ready to reach out, someone can be there to answer.

Need support?

CIPUH's psychological support line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Call: 2919-9000

Nou la pou ou, nap koute w!

This article is based on CIPUH's April 2025 service data. Statistics describe calls received by the CIPUH psychological support line and should not be interpreted as estimates of mental health conditions within Haiti's general population.