Towards mental health friendly cities during and after COVID-19

COVID-19 and the resultant stringent control measures have increased social isolation, loneliness, and domestic violence, and generated feelings of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. Over the past two years, citiesRISE, a global platform that engages youth leadership in mental health system reform, has developed a holistic model for youth mental health and operationalized it through the Mental Health Friendly Cities (MHFC) framework. Using this framework, we surveyed youth from the five cities early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and identified critical needs, based on which we recommend research and programming priorities towards post-COVID-19 Mental Health Friendly Cities.