"My emotional problems began one morning. I was at my sister-in-law’s house and at that exact moment my brother-in-law was murdered in the house. From that moment, my life completely changed."
Betty’s husband was the one who came looking for help. After hearing about the services that MSF provided, he arrived at the clinic one morning in August 2016, extremely distressed.
If MSF didn’t help Betty, he said, he didn’t not know what he would do. Betty began counselling sessions with Dr Yeni, an MSF psychologist, soon after.
Betty was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Seeing her brother-in-law murdered had triggered a psychotic depression.
When she first began to receive help from MSF, Betty didn’t know where she was or what day it was.
She had not left her room in days. She cried constantly and didn’t eat. She was about to lose her job, and could no longer take public transport because she was afraid that people would harm her.

Betty
Through her sessions with Dr Yeni, Betty's learned to understand and control these feelings. The psychologist gave her tips on how to control her emotions and her negative thoughts.
"Now I feel much better, thank God, because I am living my normal life again. I can walk alone. I feel that things have improved from that time to now."
Mental health problems can have a profound impact on people and communities. People experiencing these conditions can feel less able to function within their families or as part of society.
When treating mental health conditions, MSF teams focus on understanding the social, political, economic, spiritual, cultural and moral points of view of our patients.
Our approach targets the individual and community factors that influence mental health.