An expert said on Saturday, Oct. 7, that discrimination, stigma, and stereotypes surrounding mental well-being remain the leading reasons behind underreported cases of mental health concerns among Filipinos.
“Madalas underreported dahil hindi nasa kaalaman ng bawat Pilipino ang humingi ng tulong kapag nagkakaproblema sa isip [...] Hindi mahalaga sa atin yung ating mental health dahil sa tingin ko marami pa ring stereotype, stigma, at discrimination kapag ang isang Pilipino ay nakakaranas ng mental health issues,” Dr. Marc Eric Reyes from the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) told DZRH in an interview.
Reyes added that the preconceived notion among Filipinos suffering from mental health issues revolves around the concept of insanity or “pagkabaliw.”
“Ang mental health issue palaging nakalakip sa instanity o pagkabaliw kahit hindi naman siya totoo. Napakalawak ng usaping ng mental health. Yung pagkabaliw isang parte lang siya ng usapin na ito,” he said.
Rise in suicide calls during pandemic lockdown
During the height of pandemic lockdowns in 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) sounded the alarm following a recorded 57 percent increase in suicide rate in the country. PSA also noted the rise of suicide deaths with 4,420 in 2020 from 2,810 in the previous year.
In a report by Philstar.com, the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) also recorded a staggering 10,544 calls from January to July 2021, with 3,329 of those concerning suicide-related calls during the first half of the same year.
“Maaring may mga depression na rin sila bago pa lang magpandemya so yung pandemya nagdulot pa ng mas malalang issue sa mga taong may pinagdadaaanan na,” Reyes said when asked regarding the data on suicide cases in the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reyes clarified that suicide is a complex situation and a person’s suicide involves a myriad of possible reasons instead of the common notion of zeroing in on a single subject.
“Maraming bagay ang maaring nagdulot nito kasi hindi naman siya sakit. Sintomas to ng isa pang maaring sakit na kadalasan ay depression [...] hindi natin pwedeng sabihin na isang bagay lang [ang dahilan], madalas accumulated o nagpatong-patong na na problema,” he said, claiming the need for people to have someone they can turn to when going through a rough patch.
‘Mental health literacy’
Ahead of the celebration of World Mental Health Day on October 10, Reyes emphasized the need for mental health literacy among Filipinos.
“Kailangan yung karaniwang mamamayan malaman nila yung kahalagahan ng mental health. So, education talaga ang kulang,” he said.
He urged local government units (LGUs) and the education agency to add mental health in students’ curriculum.
As the primary line of defense, Reyes said families also partake a great role in honing their children’s mental health as well the their understanding of the matter.
“Ang unang line of defense natin ay ang ating pamilya so dapat mawala yung stigma, yung discrimination ng mental health issues sa pamilya mismo. Kasi ang unang dapat lalapitan ng bata sa mental health issues ay ang kanilang magulang, ang kanilang pamilya,” he said.
If you or someone you know is thinking about self-harm or suicide, call the National Mental Health Crisis hotline at 1553 (Luzon-wide, toll-free landline), 0966-351-4518 or 0917-899-USAP (8727) for Globe/TM users, or 0908-639-2672 for Smart users.
