No one is spared” from the possibility of suffering from mental illness.

This is the clear message mental health experts are sending to the public. Mental
illnesses can cut across all professions and ages, and affect even those who care for
patients with mental health issues themselves.

The problem is one that carries a heavy burden as the World Health
Organization (WHO) predicted that by 2030, mental disorders will account for 13% of
the total global burden of diseases.

“Everyone is on alert,” said psychiatrist Dr Dinah Nadera of the University of the

Philippines Diliman Infirmary and president of non-governmental organization
Foundation Awit in an interview with Rappler.

The risks apply to the Philippines as well. Experts told Rappler mental illnesses and
suicide cases among the youth have increased in the last few years.

In 2004, over 4.5 million cases of depression were reported in the Philippines, according
to the Department of Health (DOH). Suicide cases in the Philippines recorded by the
WHO in 2012 also reported over 2,000 cases from 2000 to 2012. Majority of those who
died by suicide were between 15 to 29 years old.

Fast forward to the present, the numbers are most likely much higher since many who
suffer from depression often hesitate to seek help due to the stigma that surrounds
mental disorders. The same can also be said for those who attempt suicide.

This begs the question: is the Philippines ready to seriously address mental health?

According to experts, whether or not the Philippines effectively addresses the growing
health concern will depend on how well the recently signed Mental Health Act will be
implemented. The DOH, along with health professionals and civic groups, are still
finalizing the law’s implementing rules and regulations.

Hailed by mental health advocates as a “major victory,” President Rodrigo

Duterte signed into law the landmark bill in June 2018. The Philippines was one of the
last few countries in the world without a mental health law, though several bills were
proposed as early as the 1980s.

But apart from the nearly 30 years it took to become law, Republic Act 11036 is praised
for being the first legislation to recognize the fundamental right of all Filipinos to mental
health services.
“(The) Mental Health Law would aim to bring mental health closer to the everyday lives
of the youth,” said Dr Constantine Chua, chief resident of the Philippine General
Hospital (PGH) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

Crucial parts of the law include the government’s responsibility in promoting the well-
being of people, which would be done by ensuring the value, promotion, and protection
of mental health.

ACCESS. The Mental Health Act will ensure access and delivery to mental health services.

According to experts, this is important as it can lessen the stigma around mental health
and ensure the access and delivery of mental health services to every Filipino.

The law also aims to ensure that delivery of, and access to psychiatric, psychosocial,
and neurologic services happens in regional, provincial, and tertiary hospitals. Apart
from this, the law also supports the presence of mental health services embedded in
school systems and the teaching of mental health in all education levels.

Another salient feature of the law shifts focus of care to the community. For Nadera, this
is crucial as this is where “true recovery happens.”

Successful implementation

But how exactly will we be able to gauge the law's success once it is fully implemented?
Ideally, the offshoot would be the presence of mental health services at the primary
health care setting such as in barangay health stations and not just hospitals, Chua
said.

Adequate training of teachers and officials in mental health knowledge as well as mental
health programs should also be required in schools and the workplace.

"Our general practitioners, doctors, nurses, teachers being taught the mental health
dimensions of their work adequately...those are measures or goals of the mental health
law and when we achieve those things, the mental health law is doing its purpose,"
Chua said.

Mental health advocates also hope that with the implementation of the mental health
law, more people would be enticed to become practicing psychiatrists. Currently there
are roughly only 600 in the whole country for a population of nearly 100 million.

According to Nadera, success would also mean less reports of violence or human rights
violations against persons with mental health problems. Mental heath policies and
services should also be made available to vulnerable sectors. These include Filipinos
working abroad in maritime and service industries, as well as those who are victims of
disasters.

With limited capacity to tackle mental health fully, experts said fighting the rise in mental
illnesses and suicide cases among the youth will need to be taken up by everyone.
(READ: [OPINYON] Kasama tayo sa laban para sa mental health)

The shared exposure to mental disorders puts everyone at risk. This will mean each will
have a role to play in trying to boost preventive efforts against developing mental
illnesses.

“Mental health is not just the role of doctors or clinical

psychologists…. The whole community will really play a
role”
- Dr Constantine Chua, chief resident of the PGH Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

“When we say mental health, it’s not really just having or not having a psychiatric
diagnosis but it’s enjoying the best cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social state in
which you can have a fulfilling life and a community,” Chua said.

For youth and adults alike, experts suggest fostering a healthy lifestyle that allots time
for rest and leisure. It also means having balanced self-expectations, learning how to
ask for help, and making the effort to stay connected with other people.
“Having healthy and meaningful relationships…where you are accepted by people,
where you are listened to is actually the best protective factor,” Chua said. Balderrama
likewise agreed that having healthy relationships is good as these provide crucial
support systems for those with mental health disorders.

Parents and teachers, for their part, should also focus on preventive efforts – such as
being equipped with knowledge about mental health – as this could strengthen children
and prevent them from developing full-blown mental disorders.

“Mental health is not just the role of doctors or clinical psychologists….The whole
community will really play a role – that includes the family, the teachers, the students
themselves,” Chua said. – Rappler.com
 When people have physical illnesses, they are excused from work and school, and
receive care and sympathy. However, when people suffer from mental illnesses, they do not get
the same treatment. Discrimination is rampant and many laugh and joke about mental illnesses
according to June Lopez a mental health advocate of the University of the Philippines and it stays
as a misunderstood topic.

In a country mired by various problems, advocates feared that the government

will put mental health on the back burner..The country's first Mental Health Act was filed
as early as 1989 by then Senator Orlando Mercado; a year later, another version was
filed by Senator Jose Lina. Nearly a decade later, Executive Order 470 was issued,
creating a council for mental health. The PPA, however, argued that no such council
exists today since the policy is poorly implemented.

The Mental Health Law seeks to create an active and inclusive council, which will
be an attached agency of the Department of Health (DOH) that will address mental
health problems through a new "mental healthcare delivery system" and conduct
consultations with various stakeholders like patients themselves.

In the succeeding years, there has been at least 16 other bills focusing on mental
health, according to Edgardo Tolentino of the PPA. None of them, however, was passed
by Congress.The Philippines has plenty of MH problems, advocates say. Aside from
cases of psychiatric conditions, there's the lack of mental health professionals, facilities,
funding, and a national law.

The most current version of the House Bill was filed by Camarines Sur Third
District Representative Leni Robredo, alongside Representatives Barry Gutierrez,
Walden Bello, Kaka Bag-ao, Romero Kimbo, Karlo Nograles, and Emmi de Jesus.

Meanwhile, the Senate version of was filed by Senator Pia Cayetano.

HB 5347 and Senate Bill 2910 – the Philippine Mental Health Act of 2015 –
require the government to "uphold the basic right of all Filipinos to mental health and to
respect the fundamental rights of people who require mental health services." The
proposed law is based on various international human rights standards, which the
Philippines is a signatory of. It proposes to protect people with mental health problems
from torture, cruelty, and degrading treatment. It also assures that patients receive
adequate information, aftercare, and rehabilitation. This includes protection from
discrimination in the workplace, schools, homes, and elsewhere. The provision on
employment, however, is yet to be fleshed out. Confidentiality shall be respected at all
times, which means that the patient's information cannot be revealed to anyone except
her or his doctor unless completely necessary. The law will mandate the DOH, the
Commission on Human Rights, the Department of Justice, and national and local
hospitals to support people with mental health problems.
 Mental health services will also be integrated with the primary healthcare system
in communities. This means MH services should be available among hospitals down to
the barangay level, including training of healthcare workers.The law proposes to include
mental health in health courses in schools as well.

In 2006, the Department of Health reported that the number one mental health
problem, at least within the National Capital Region, is anxiety. This is followed by
alcholism and depression.

The study, which polled government employees in Metro Manila, revealed that
32% of respondents have experienced mental health problems. In 2011, the World
Health Organization (WHO) found that 16% of Filipino students aged 13 to 15 had
"seriously" contemplated suicide in the past year. Meanwhile, 13% had actually
attempted suicide. Anyone can experience a mental health problem and there is nothing
wrong with that, advocates remind the public. It could be a form of depression; anxiety;
mood, adjustment, dissociative, psychotic, eating, addiction, and personality disorders;
or a post-traumatic stress disorder.

“No one is spared” from the possibility of suffering from mental illness.

This is the clear message mental health experts are sending to the public. Mental
illnesses can cut across all professions and ages, and affect even those who care for
patients with mental health issues themselves.

The problem is one that carries a heavy burden as the World Health
Organization (WHO) predicted that by 2030, mental disorders will account for 13% of
the total global burden of diseases.

“Everyone is on alert,” said psychiatrist Dr Dinah Nadera of the University of the

Philippines Diliman Infirmary and president of non-governmental organization
Foundation Awit in an interview with Rappler.

The risks apply to the Philippines as well. Experts told Rappler mental illnesses
and suicide cases among the youth have increased in the last few years.

In 2004, over 4.5 million cases of depression were reported in the Philippines,
according to the Department of Health (DOH). Suicide cases in the Philippines recorded
by the WHO in 2012 also reported over 2,000 cases from 2000 to 2012. Majority of
those who died by suicide were between 15 to 29 years old.

Fast forward to the present, the numbers are most likely much higher since many
who suffer from depression often hesitate to seek help due to the stigma that surrounds
mental disorders. The same can also be said for those who attempt suicide.
 Some Filipinos tend to keep it to themselves, out of fear of discrimination. This,
however, might only worsen their condition as they delay treatment. Meanwhile, others
cannot afford the help they need.

According to experts, whether or not the Philippines effectively addresses the

growing health concern will depend on how well the recently signed Mental Health Act
will be implemented. The DOH, along with health professionals and civic groups, are
still finalizing the law’s implementing rules and regulations.

Hailed by mental health advocates as a “major victory,” President Rodrigo

Duterte signed into law the landmark bill in June 2018. The Philippines was one of the
last few countries in the world without a mental health law, though several bills were
proposed as early as the 1980s.

But apart from the nearly 30 years it took to become law, Republic Act 11036 is
praised for being the first legislation to recognize the fundamental right of all Filipinos to
mental health services.

“(The) Mental Health Law would aim to bring mental health closer to the
everyday lives of the youth,” said Dr Constantine Chua, chief resident of the Philippine
General Hospital (PGH) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.

Crucial parts of the law include the government’s responsibility in promoting the
well-being of people, which would be done by ensuring the value, promotion, and
protection of mental health.

According to experts, this is important as it can lessen the stigma around mental
health and ensure the access and delivery of mental health services to every Filipino.

The law also aims to ensure that delivery of, and access to psychiatric,
psychosocial, and neurologic services happens in regional, provincial, and tertiary
hospitals. Apart from this, the law also supports the presence of mental health services
embedded in school systems and the teaching of mental health in all education levels.

Another salient feature of the law shifts focus of care to the community. For
Nadera, this is crucial as this is where “true recovery happens.”
https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/111100-filipinos-need-mental-health-act

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/211679-philippines-readiness-address-mental-
health