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mga dialogo #05. | MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Suicide Crisis Lines

Landline: (02) 8893-7603

Globe: 0917-8001123

Sun: 0917-8001123

Tawag Paglaum-Centro Bisaya

SMART & SUN: 0939-9375433 | 0939-9365433

Globe / TM: 0927-6541629

(24/7 SUICIDE, DEPRESSION, AND EMOTIONAL CRISIS INTERVENTION HOTLINE)

Mood Harmony: (02) 8844-2941

Dial-a-Friend: (02) 8525-1743 | (02) 8525-1881

Philippine General Hospital PGH Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Department

Phone:

(02) 554-8400

loc. 2436 or 2440

(02) 8554-88470

(02) 8526-0150

(02) 554-8469

*Note: The waitlist is long, so please be patient.

Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center OPD Acute Psychiatric Unit: Phone: (02) 8941 5854

Sumulong Highway Sto. Nino, Marikina: Free basic (non-intensive) psychiatric services from 8-10 a.m. to 1-2 p.m.

Ateneo Bulatao Center For Psychological Services:

Phone: (02) 8426-5982

Room 103-A Bellarmine Hall, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Psych Consult, Inc.

Phone: (02) 8421-2469 | (02) 8357-6427

Unit 227 Second Floor, Regalia Park Towers, 150 P. Tuazon Blvd., Cubao, Quezon City | Prescription Psychiatrists and Psychologists

Phone: (02) 8863-0655 | (0977) 795-3097

Unit 2511A Centuria Medical Makati Kalayaan Ave. cor. Salamanca St., Brgy Poblacion, Makati

Free Psychological Services Living Free Foundation: Phone: (02) 8406-1611 | (0917) 322-7807

UST Psychotrauma (via appointment): Room 104 (The Meeting Room), Ground Floor, Thomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC), University of Santo Tomas, Manila

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It matters. YOU matter. Let’s face forward and head into 2021 together.

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Today, my therapist was talking about how the smallest bits of self-care — even making yourself a mug of warm tea — are a way of recognizing your own worth, and how meaningful they are when you really dislike yourself. “After all,” she said, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t often make tea for people I hate.”

And that really hit me, especially because I’m an acts-of-service kind of person and tea is one of my go-to ways to show people that I’m thinking about them, care about them, and hope their day could be a little better. So maybe when I make tea for myself, I’m saying that to myself, too, that I’m thinking of my own needs, caring for myself, and trying to make my day a little better. 

And that’s really important to me because a lot of days I struggle to do basic things to keep myself going and just feel like I’m self-destructive, only ever making things worse… but most days I still manage to make myself a mug of tea or two. And it’s good to know that that matters. 

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mga dialogo #04. | Mental Health Statistics in the PH

Around 6 million Filipinos are estimated to live with depression and/or anxiety, making the Philippines the country with the third highest rate of mental health problems in the Western Pacific Region.

Government spending on mental health is at 0.22% of total health expenditures with a lack of health professionals working in the mental health sector

One crucial barrier to achieving well-being and improved mental health among both ‘local’ and overseas Filipinos is their propensity to not seek psychological help.

The most vulnerable population is those aged 15-29. Mental health-related deaths are also the second leading cause of fatalities in this age group

“The importance of mental health initiatives is just as crucial as those for the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque. “Now more than ever, we need to promote holistic health, where we are caring for the body, the mind, and even the spirit.”

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Heather Havrilesky, How to Be a Person in the World

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The advice I’d give to somebody that’s silently struggling is, you don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.

Demi Lovato

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mga dialogo #03. 

Empathy is key to our wellbeing and our functioning. In order to feel safe and feel connected to others, we need empathy.

Empathy helps us feel known, understood, and validated; many times, this is what is missing in our personal lives. Sometimes this is because we are not surrounded by people who are capable, or willing to provide this for us; other times, it’s because we’re not in a place personally where we’re able to open ourselves to this possibility and this is where the skill of the counsellor comes in. Through counselling, we can experience empathy in a 1:1 relationship with the counsellor, evaluate our relationships, and if there are things preventing us from accepting empathy from others, work through these things will a skilled professional.

(Artworks by Tyler Spangler)

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mga dialogo #02. | WHY IS COUNSELING IMPORTANT?

SPEAKING YOUR MIND

Counselors act as a support system that allows you to speak in whatever way you need in order to find healing.

SOMEONE CARES

Counselors are here to help you in any way you need and, more importantly, they care deeply about helping you improve yourself.

���It is important to realize that counseling and mental health treatment is a healthy action for everybody. A little counseling can help everyone to improve in their everyday life.”

VALIDITY AND CLARITY

Sometimes, sifting through your emotions is hard to do on your own. If you’re feeling confused about your feelings, it’s always best to find clarity through speaking with a professional. They will help you to feel entitled to your emotions, regardless of how irrational you think they may be.

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Counselors go through many years of rigorous education in order to be able to analyze and assess the human condition. Regardless of your situation, they will be able to explain what you are feeling and why you are feeling it.

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What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.

Glenn Close.

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mga dialogo #01.

Having to experience being in a lockdown for a long time, it is important to remember that you are NOT ALONE. Somebody out there is ready to listen, ready to hear your thoughts, ready to talk, you just need to DIAL.

Here in the Philippines, we tend to view people who seek guidance from counselors as “weak” or so to say “baliw.” IT’S TIME TO BREAK THE STIGMA. Normalize counseling and going to therapy. Together, let’s create a healed generation of individuals who are not afraid to seek help.

(Illustration by Giulia Pintus)