About us

  “And those members of the body we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:23-26 And so we are reminded that our brothers and sisters who suffer from mental illness, and whom society sometimes perceives as weak and are therefore marginalized, should be regarded as indispensable and ought to be treated with special honor. Fugong Mental Health seeks to demonstrate what this body should and can look like, by supporting the needs of the Lisu people living in the mountains of Nujiang Autonomous Prefecture, who live with mental illness. By providing counseling, medication, medical care and rehabilitation for the patients; medical care and support for family caregivers; and education in the community, we try to bestow an honor that in turn allows us to suffer and rejoice with that member, and experience how the body was intended to function. By being with and attending to our friends who suffer from mental illness, we hope to say to these our friends, “ You are loved and worthwhile. We are glad you exist. ”       Medical Treatment: Many of our friends suffer from chronic mental illnesses and disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders. After several visits with our patients and their families and determining what our patients are suffering from, we then search for locally available medications that are suitable for the treatment of such disorders and illnesses.   Social and Vocational Rehabilitation: We recognise that persons suffering from psychiatric disabilities have the same goals and dreams as any other person. While we are invested in supporting and enhancing each persons individual journey to recovery, we emphatically believe that this cannot be done without the involvement of the larger community at Fugong. It is with this mindset that we try to source for and elicit help from our neighbours and friends in Fugong who have skills and businesses which could benefit our mentally ill friends.   Education: A raised awareness of what mental illness is and how it affects persons suffering from it and their family members is important, not only to patients and their families but also to the community at large. In the past years, the focus of our education has included bringing to light the remarkable strengths in our patients and the extraordinary compassion practiced by their loved ones in taking care of and supporting them in their recovery. Community: Ultimately, we hope we have been found faithful in moving beyond private comfort and individual consolation. We hope our patients, who are our family, our friends, know that they do not suffer alone. We hope to daily gather neighbours and friends around those who suffer from mental illness so that sufferers realise they are not alone. Their pain is shared and understood by others.