There is a critical dearth of safe, culturally relevant and competent Mental Health Services in Haiti, due to lack of social services and mental health infrastructure, lack of affordable resources, shortage of trained clinicians, and shortage of funding for potentially useful psychotropic medications.

The story behind “Twoub Mantal (Healing A Nation)” is that a few years ago, a social worker, Richard Saintal from the Cite Soleil region of Port-au-Prince suffered what appeared to be a traumatic psychotic break. Richard’s preventable death while in residential care at a psychiatric hospital in Haiti was an outrage which underscores how many disadvantaged individuals with mental disorders who reach out to the Haitian Mental Health system fail to receive help. In fact, these individuals may face neglect, poor care and eventually life-threatening conditions.

The film comprises interviews of Richard’s relatives, social work colleagues of Richard, a nurse who had worked in the hospital where Richard sought treatment, psychologists from the State University of Haiti who are part of the UEH SHARE Haiti team, and mental health experts from universities across the U.S., and individuals with mental disorders and their significant others.