Op-Ed: The Developing World Deserves Mental Health Access Too

BasicNeeds firmly believes that mental health is a basic right and not a privilege. However, for the millions of people living in poverty, mental illness is a world of isolation, fear, abuse and neglect. Suffering from schizophrenia, Bernard Mapunda from Tanzania was called a “crazy fellow” by people in his village as he fought with children and adults and quarrelled with people wherever he went. He used to walk aimlessly around the village and would be found sleeping atop trees.