Mogadishu, Somalia – Mental health needs are rising sharply across Somalia as more people step forward to seek help, according to new data from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Facilities supported by the international medical charity provided 4,352 individual and family mental health consultations in the first half of 2025 — a significant increase from 3,158 during the same period last year.
The jump represents nearly a 38 percent rise, reflecting both growing awareness of mental health services and the continued psychological strain caused by conflict, displacement, and climate-related disasters.
Retsat Dazang, who oversees MSF’s mental health activities in Somalia, said the figures underscore how deeply Somalis are affected by years of instability and loss. Many of those seeking support include survivors of violence, parents struggling with trauma, adolescents facing anxiety, and displaced families coping with grief and uncertainty.
Although mental health was once a largely unspoken issue, community outreach and counselling initiatives by MSF and local partners are gradually shifting perceptions. More people are now willing to share their experiences — a crucial step toward healing in a country where entire generations have grown up amid upheaval.
Despite the progress, Dazang and other health workers warn that services remain limited compared to the scale of need. Somalia has only a handful of trained mental health professionals, and most rural areas still lack reliable care.
MSF staff say the growing uptake of counselling sessions is both a hopeful sign and a call to action. As more Somalis find the courage to ask for support, aid agencies and authorities face increasing pressure to ensure that help is available — not just in hospitals and clinics, but in every community affected by hardship.