Social networks of 35 mentally ill persons were studied in Lao villages. Mental illness was associated with a decrease in size of social networks, disproportionate reliance on family and asymmetric instrumental exchange. Nonkin sponsors provided assistance to those alienated from or abandoned by relatives. For those with late onset or episodic course, past accumulation of social reserve or social capital favored continuation of large networks. Size of social network was positively correlated with social function but bore little relation to psychopathology.