Mental Health

and
Mental Hygiene

Bernard M. Paderes
 It is a state of well-being in
which the individual realizes
his or her own abilities, can
cope with the normal
stresses of life, work
productively and fruitfully,
and is able to contribute to
his or her community (WHO,
2011).

Mental Health
 Mental Hygiene

It is a life-long process of
attaining mental health and
preventing mental illness in
society.
 Mental Hygiene

It is the application of a body of hygienic

information and techniques culled from the
sciences of psychology, child psychology,
education, sociology, psychiatry, medicine and
biology, for the purpose of
a) preservation and improvement of mental health
of the individual and of the community.
b) for the prevention and cure of minor and major
mental diseases and defects of mental,
educational, and social adjustment.
 Goals of Mental Hygiene

Realization of Happiness
Potentialities

Harmonious Effective
Development Existence
Realization of Potentialities
Happiness
Harmonious Development
Effective Existence
 Functions of Mental Hygiene

Training Prevention

Cure for Mental Disorders Preservation

Training
Prevention
Cure for Mental Disorders
Preservation
Malayo sa Bituka:
The Current State of Mental Health
Services in the Philippines
 Mental Health Services in the Philippines

• The Philippines has just

recently passed its first
Mental Health Act
(Republic Act no. 11036)

• Mental health remains

poorly resourced: only 3-
5% of the total health
budget services (WHO and
DOH, 2006).
 • There are only two tertiary
care psychiatric hospitals:
National Center for Mental
Health and the Mariveles
Mental Hospital.
• The are 12 smaller satellite
hospitals affiliated with the
NCMH. However, these
facilities suffer from
overcrowding, poor
functioning units, chronic
Mental Health Services staff shortages, funding
in the Philippines constraints.
Mental Health Services
in the Philippines

• There is a severe shortage of mental

health workers in the Philippines.
Data from WHO (2014) indicated that
there were 0.52 psychiatrist and 0.07
psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants,
and 0.49 mental health nurses per
100,000 of the population.
 • The National Statistics
Authority identifies that
mental illness is the third most
prevalent form of morbidity.
However the findings claimed
that only 88 cases of mental
health problems were reported
for every 100,000 of the
population (DOH, 2005).
• Fourteen percent of the
population of 1.4 million
The Burden of Mental Filipinos with disabilities were
identified to have a mental
Disorders disorder (Philippine Statistics
Authority, 2010).
 The Burden of Mental Disorders

• The 2005 WHO World Health

Survey in the Philippines
identified that of the 10,085
participants, 0.4% had
schizophrenia and 14.5% had
depression.
• Of those diagnosed with
schizophrenia, 33.2% had
received treatment as
compared with 14% of those
diagnosed with depression.
“Talking about mental disorders means talking about poverty: the two are linked in a vicious
circle.” – World Health Organization
References:

Babu, S. & Gatathri, T. (2018). Psychology for Nurses. New Delhi: RELX India
Pvt. Ltd.

Lally, J., Tully, J., & Samaniego, R. (2019). Mental health services in the
Philippines. BJPsych International, 16 (3), 62-64.