– THW = This House Would

– THBT = This House Believes That

– THS = This House Supports
– THR = This House Regrets

Grand Finals
In the Philippine Mental Health Law, Section 13, titled “Exceptions to Informed
Consent” states that, in the case of a psychiatric emergency—meaning one has
temporarily lost his or her legal capacity and poses a threat to himself or others—the
patient concerned can be involuntarily admitted to a hospital or institution, so long as
the order has been given by his or her doctor. Safeguards include 1. holds the person
can be confined only as long as the loss of mental capacity persists 2. The doctor’s
decision has to be evaluated by the hospital’s internal review board within 15 days from
the patient’s admission, and every 15 days thereafter 3. The patient’s treatment must
also be “in strict accordance with guidelines approved by the appropriate authorities
which must contain clear criteria regulating the application and termination of such
medical intervention.”

THW strike down section 13.

Semi Finals

THW make a publicized psychiatric assessment a prerequisite for applying or running in

key government positions.

Round 5: Media

THW ban the media from reporting the mental health status of those convicted/tried for
crimes

TH regrets all art that depicts or is inspired by suicide.

This House regrets the popular portrayal of individuals with mental disorders as creative
geniuses.

Round 4: Life

THR the romantisation of mental illness, including living with said illnesses as a proof of
strength/virtue.

THW significantly increase people's leisure time at the expense of greater prosperity,
progress and growth.

THBT educational systems ought prefer to teach the "harsh realities of life" rather than
attempting to instill hope/optimism

Round 3: Treatment

THBT disability advocates should not support efforts to find a cure for autism.

THBT parents of children suffering with mental health issues should not be able to
refuse treatment on behalf of their children.

THBT doctors should be allowed to lie to their patients in order to create or augment a
placebo effect

Round 2: Society
Infoslide: The Goldwater Rule is a self-imposed ethical guideline by the American
Psychiatric Association that prohibits members of the APA from publically
opining on the mental health of public figures they have not personally examined
or received consent to comment on.

THBT the American Psyciatric Association should abandon the Goldwater Rule

Info slide: Stunting physical development is a medical procedure that typically

halts all physical growth and development at a prepubescent stage. Some
parents desire to have doctors perform this procedure on their severely mentally
disabled children so that it will be easier to care for their needs
THW permit parents to stunt the physical development of their severely mentally
disabled children

Info slide: You are an anti-death penalty psychiatrist of a schizophrenic inmate on

death row. If you prescribe drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia, your patient
will regain their sanity and will be legally competent to be executed.

THW not prescribe the medication

Round 1: School

THBT universities should require all students to undergo a psychopathological

examination which would aggressively profile possible mental health issues (i.e. suicidal
tendencies, psychological deviances) whose results shall be disclosed to professors
and other concerned school authorities

In cases where students are diagnosed with school-related mental disorders, THS
mandatory government-funded homeschooling for those individual students
TH regrets the increasing medical classification of behavioral patterns as psychological
illnesses