The morning sun rises over the green mountains of Kashmir as Taheem Jafar prepares for another day as a community mental health worker with Doctors Without Borders India/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). It’s 9:00 AM, and she’s already gathering her materials—information leaflets, her diary, and a pen in one of the Primary Health Centers (PHC) in … Read more
In the picturesque valleys of Kashmir, where communities have faced years of uncertainty, mental health remains a critical yet often overlooked concern. Two drivers with Doctors Without Borders India/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Mohammad Yakoob and Mohammad Ashraf, have witnessed firsthand how perceptions of mental health have evolved over two decades. When I first joined … Read more
In a small consultation room in Kashmir, Nadia Ishfaq listens intently as a one of the MSF counsellor discusses one case and speaks about the challenges. As a clinical psychologist working as a Mental Health Supervisor with Doctors Without Borders India/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Nadia leads a team of professionals providing mental healthcare across the … Read more
In the heart of Kashmir, where the beauty of nature meets the complexities of human experiences, Isha Malik wields an unusual palette – one that paints not just canvases, but also the landscape of mental health. As a clinical psychologist with Doctors Without Borders India/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Isha’s journey is a testament to … Read more
The RSP in Amman was established by Médecins Sans Frontières MSF in 2006 to provide surgical, rehabilitative and psychological care for victims of war across the Middle East. As part of psychological care, the RSP encourages peer support – patients offering and receiving support based on shared experiences and challenges. This happens both formally, through … Read more
Hakima Masud has been working for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for the past four years as part of the Mombasa project, where the organization cares for adolescents and young people, focusing on the needs of young key populations including gender and sexual minorities in order to improve access to safe, non-discriminatory and stigma-free … Read more
Launched on 14 February 2024, the Sitsandziwe clinic has been busy over the past year providing comprehensive sexual health services, with a strong focus on mental health, to marginalised communities. These include adolescents, young women, LGBTQ+, factory workers and university students. The clinic’s emphasis on confidentiality and ‘safe space’ care has made it a preferred … Read more
After more than 13 years of war, displacement and ongoing humanitarian crises, the inevitable outcome of this suffering is a widespread mental health crisis that is affecting countless people. At the end of a suicide awareness session, my patients told me, ‘We love life if we find a way to it,’ quoting the renowned Palestinian … Read more
The MSF team on Lesvos island, Greece, conducted over 1,500 mental health consultations between January and August 2024. Our psychologists report that most patients suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and acute stress disorder. People’s symptoms include difficulty sleeping, flashbacks, chronic fatigue, despair, depersonalisation, and helplessness, among others. The undignified living conditions in the Closed … Read more
In South Sudan, mental health issues are overshadowed by poverty, violence, and displacement. Neglected by the health system and confronted by deep-rooted stigma, many people face their mental health struggles in silence, enduring a daily battle that goes unseen and unheard. When she was just 12 years old, Mary Nyanhial Kiel had to escape her … Read more