An MSF counselor holds a mental health consultation in Malakal, Upper Nile state. | South Sudan 2024 © Isaac Buay/MSF

Medical charity MSF has called for stronger national efforts to fight stigma around mental illness through education, community programs, and the inclusion of mental health topics in schools.

MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, says health workers need proper training, enough resources must be allocated, and mental health support should be seen as a basic right for everyone.

Monyjok Monylang, MSF’s Mental Health Supervisor in Malakal, says mental health is “everyone’s business.”

He said that families and communities need to understand that people showing signs of mental illness are not acting out of choice, and that support and compassion can prevent unnecessary suffering.

“We recommend strong national efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness through education, community engagement, and inclusion of mental illness topics in school and health programs. Mental health care should be part of public health, from clinics to hospitals.

“This means training health workers, giving enough resources, and making sure every citizen has access to mental health and psychosocial support as a basic right. Mental health is everyone’s business,” Monylang  said speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn show on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.

According to reports, South Sudan’s mental health crisis is serious but often invisible.

Years of conflict, displacement, poverty, and hunger have left deep psychological wounds, and ongoing instability has disrupted the few services that exist.

Survivors of sexual and gender-based violence are especially vulnerable, often lacking both mental health and legal support.