Celebrating World Mental Health Day

On Saturday, in Juba, South Sudan, Dr. Atong Ayuel Longar, who is the only practicing psychiatrist in the world's newest country of South Sudan (population of 11 million people), along with people from the health minister's office, presented a program honoring World Mental Health Day.

In keeping with the theme of "dignity" for World Mental Health Day, they chose to let people know, "You are not alone: We are here to support." Patients and staff produced skits about mental illness awareness.

Dr. Atong Ayuel Longar said, "We are duty bound, and have a moral obligation to see that those who are mentally ill are cared for properly." Pointing out that there are some violent mentally ill people, she said, "They are not criminals and that aggressiveness is not because they want to do it, but it is a result of their mental illness." Her goal is to make sure that mental health treatment is available, accessible and affordable to all people in South Sudan, and it is important to recognize when family members are experiencing pain and when they are mentally ill.

In addition, GEMS Development Foundation (Goats, Education, Medicine, Sustainability) Vice President Darrin Peterson, along with Marketing and Events Coordinator Bianca McDown, presented a check for $11,000 from an American, Trent Vandersloot of NorthPoint, so the psychiatric unit at Juba Teaching Hospital can be enclosed. Currently, when patients are admitted who are at risk of leaving, they are chained to the bed. In keeping with the theme of dignity, enclosing the psychiatric unit at Juba Teaching Hospital is a priority, and the money was raised literally to get people out of chains.

Awareness is the chief problem that those of us in the United States face as well, just these people do in a country where war has been part of their lives for many years. To raise awareness, there was a slideshow of many famous people who have experienced mental illness. Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln were shown, as they both had experienced depression. In addition, the creator of jazz, Charles Bolden, had many psychiatric problems. Other people who we know who have fought mental illness include Ray Charles, Winston Churchill and even Albert Einstein, who would have been diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

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Tong Deng Anei, who spent years in the Health Ministry of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, said, "Only in South Sudan are mental health patients kept in prison." (There are mentally ill in U.S. prisons, but they are also accused of crimes.) South Sudan wants to make sure these patients are cared for, like any other patients.

The adviser and consultant to the minister of health, Jehan Mechak Deng, said the Millennium Development Goals of United Nations are important because mental illness is a significant drawback to development. She also said mental illness used to be a taboo, but now it is recognized as a disease. She also said South Sudan was born out of conflict. There are remnants of violence, and there is fear among many people that they may not survive. The trajectory of mental health has been important, she said, pointing out that previously people would not want to be with people with leprosy until it was understood to be a disease. She said people used to run away from lepers.

She also said people were created as body, soul and spirit. Because of this, she reiterated, it is important for everyone to know that we are not alone: "In unity we stand, and in division we fall."

Former patients who had been helped by the mental health team were also part of the World Mental Health Day celebration.

Lastly, a video was shown of street patients, often found wandering nude or chained by their families to trees. The innovative program by the Ministry of Health, which gives patients medication, food, haircuts and hygiene help, has restored dignity to these patients. Two of the patients from the Wau area had been chained to a tree, even in the rain, for more than six years. Now given medication, they are working and are productive members of society again.

Most people think of South Sudan as a war-torn country in the middle of Africa. But World Mental Health day shows us how the people of South Sudan are part of our human family. We a lot to learn from our human family in South Sudan. We rarely think about people so far away. As was said on World Mental Health Day, it is in unity we stand and in division we fall.

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