TOPIC: Is mental health a social issue in the Philippines?

Mental health problems are one of the most common health issues that is
underestimated, as many don’t seek advice because of its sensitive nature. Anxiety
and depression are the most common mental health problems in Philippines.“An
estimated 12 billion workdays are lost every year due to depression and anxiety,
costing the global economy nearly $1 trillion”, as per the World Health Organization
and the International Labour Organization.Mental health problem also called mental
health disorder.It refers to a wide range of mental health conditions, that affect
person’s mood, thinking and behavior.Examples of mental disorders include
depression, anxiety, schizophrenia. It includes also eating disorders and addiction.
Many people have mental health issues from time to time.Mental health is a
controversial subject that frequently separates perception. Many people claim that
mental health is not as important as any other issues, for instance, economic conflicts,
political issues, etc., and state that mental health is just all in your head and you
should learn how to control it on your own. In the Philippines, mental health is given
less significance, regardless of the increasing rate of children and adolescents being
affected by it.

Lally et al. (2019) stated that the mental health services in the Philippines have
remained inconsistent, especially when conveying information to others. The
currently implemented act on Mental health provides the opportunity for providing
coherent and holistic mental health services and that being said, several problems
arise in delivering efficient and cost-effective mental healthcare, only 3-5% of the
total budget is spent on mental health problems and 70% are spent in the hospital care.
They have mentioned that in 2005, 10 075 participants answered the World Health
Survey in the Philippines and that 0.4% of the participants were diagnosed with
schizophrenia and 14.5% were diagnosed with depression and only 32.3% of the
diagnosed schizophrenia were being treated, and 14% with depression.Lastly, since
the Philippines lack mental health workers, professionals, and doctors and has weak
community mental health services, they have suggested that public revenues are
frantically recommended to fix the professional development and recruitment of
psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and other interdisciplinary team
members, particularly as a large number of skilled professionals insist on continuing
to move abroad.Another study by Maravilla & Tan (2019) stated that Filipino beliefs
about mental health such as anxiety and depression are non-existent and something
that one should be ashamed of having. The qualitative study of Tanaka et. al (2018)
mentioned that this stigma of mental health is thought to be the result of cultural
attitudes of mental disorders, which are divided into three categories: Familial
Problems, which states that the family disowns its members with mental health
disorder due to their belief that it can be genetically transferred. Unrealistic
Pessimism and Optimism mean that the person with mental health disorders can either
suffer from a chronic cognitive disability or are strong enough to overcome any
mental distress on their own. Lastly, Oversimplified Chronic Course where people
who do not have mental illnesses pertain a severe illness concept to someone who is
unwell and anticipate a complete recovery in the brief period and because of these, the
mental health in the Philippines are given less importance by the government and
other public sectors, the Philippine government does not also provide economical
support for organizations that aims to break the stigma in mental health and help the
people with severe mental health disorder the treatment that they deserve. Maravilla
& Tan (2021) also states that mental health issues have become the third most
common disorder/ disability in the Philippines, i.e. 6 million Filipinos are suffering
from depression and anxiety, making the Philippines the third-highest rate of mental
health in the Western Pacific. It was also stated in the study of Hakulinen et al. (2020)
that people with a serious mental disorder had substantially lower levels of
productivity before, and especially after, their disorder's diagnosis. Filipinos are
usually displeased, not only for economic strife (i.e. unemployment, low income, etc.)
but more because of pressure and expectations from family and society. Lastly, they
have mentioned that the Philippine Mental Health Act is really nothing more than a
"deceptive ordinance". Nonetheless, they believed that there is still hope that the
mental health issues in the Philippines will be recognized as a significant and essential
need to improve the quality of life and the economic system. Due to the lack of
support and the stigma in mental health, Filipinos who are affected by a severe mental
health illness prefer not to seek help from a professional and would rather ask help
from close friends or family. In the study of Martinez et al. (2020) Filipinos became
reluctant in seeking mental health treatment, primarily because of the expense that
underlies the treatment and assumes that there are other significant matters that they
need to focus on. Another reason for not seeking treatment is because of the social
stigma that comes from every mental health disorder and also because of fear of
losing face, a perception of disgrace, and compliance to Asian values of complying
with social rules in which mental illness is viewed as unacceptable. They also stated
that Filipinos only seek professional help when the illness is too severe for a family or
close friend to handle and have suggested that Filipinos should also give significance
to their well-being and should know that seeking mental health treatment can have a
better impact and quality of life. Seeking mental health treatment does not imply
weakness but rather a courage, because of how someone is strong enough to
acknowledge that they are not okay and that they need help to become better.

Taking care of mental health not only is getting help from professionals when
needed but also connecting with other, getting involved in physical activities, helping
others, getting enough sleep and staying positive that there is a way out. Positive
mental health allows people to realize their full potential, cope with stress in life,
work productively and make meaningful contributions to the community. Various
factors in people’s lives such as intrapersonal relations, physical factors, childhood
trauma and many other conditions can disrupt mental health conditions. Taking care
and looking after one’s mental health preserves an individual’s ability to enjoy life.

References:
https://helalmedical.com/mental-health-problems-in-the-philippines/
https://doi.org/10.31101/jhes.2105
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01937-2
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.706483
https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2018.34
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12919-020-00194-0