Stories From Patients & Staff

In has been more than three months since devastating floods caused vast damage across Pakistan and displaced millions, but only in recent weeks have waters started to recede and people been able to return home. 

Voices from MSF patients and staff on the devastating effects of war.

In Kenya, stigma influences how mental health is addressed. For persons who use drugs and adolescents and young marginalised and vulnerable people, stigma and discrimination lead to not only social exclusion but also a public health crisis. 

Representatives of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have been participating in the World Climate Conference (COP) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Australian academic Patricia Schwerdtle, lecturer in nursing and midwifery and public health, Monash University has been part of MSF’s team at COP27.

Scarlett Wong is a clinical psychologist from Sydney. Her work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has taken her to Uganda and Palestine. 

Scarlett featured in webinar with MSF focusing on the role of mental health specialists in overseas projects. If you are a mental health specialist and are interested in joining MSF’s project teams, we encourage you to watch this webinar recording prior to applying. 

When 14-year-old Peter* started having epileptic seizures, a misdiagnosis only made things worse, and his mother feared he wouldn’t be able to return to school. Now on regular treatment, Peter looks forwarding to fulfilling his own dreams for the future, and his mother’s for him. 

In a society where epilepsy is feared in many ways, Médecins Sans Frontières psychosocial worker S Wonka Reeder Senior is a passionate advocate for a holistic treatment approach that helps young people stay in school in Monrovia, Liberia. 

When Mary*, a 15-year-old school student in Monrovia, Liberia, started having epileptic seizures last year, it was frightening and confusing for her and everyone around her. The Médecins Sans Frontières-supported epilepsy treatment program at Star of the Sea Health Centre has helped her family and community understand the condition so that Mary can draw on their support to stay in school. 

Ngueny works for MSF in Jonglei State, not far from where his family are from. He shares his journey to becoming MSF’s first mental health supervisor at Lankien Hospital, and why he’s passionate about bridging the mental health gap.