On my journey out of the woods

While waiting for my first consultation at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), the long hours prompted me to seek relief in the restroom and had a brief encounter with another person that led me to this startling question "May sakit ka din ba sa ulo?" [Do you also have an illness on the mind?]As she placed her left point finger to her temple. 

I paused and agreed in my thoughts that technically, anxiety and depression are forms sickness too. So, I just nodded my head. I shared that it was my first time to have a consultation at NCMH. In her case, she was getting a consultation/psychiatric assessment for employment seeking purposes.

Afterwhich, I confronted myself in silence, why was I startled and was hesitant to respond when she asked me if I have an illness on the mind? Albeit it is the reason I was there. 

Perhaps, I reacted that way due to the woman's tone, choice of words, and hand movement which seemed to demean having mental health issues. I would feel bad for her if she was low-key ashamed of what she's going through. Unfortunately, I did not had the chance to ask her more and won't know why she asked that way.

Stigma in the family and society

It slipped my mind for a moment that the Philippine society in general still has a stigma over mental health issues especially from older generations and the uninformed ones. I forgot that to most of them, if you are not buang [crazy], you're either overly emotional, sensitive, OA (over acting), just making it all up, or better yet, hush it all up to not become the talk of the town. And that the word "mental" referring to psychiatric facility/hospital has a derogatory connotation and that going there would mean you are an embarassment and hopeless. 

In my own home for example, I told my mother that I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression but she brushed it off and said that I was too full of myself and  everyone in the world have problems. Also, when I had a breakdown, I was just told to stop acting like buang and that I had to pull myself together so I won't end up getting admitted to "mental" like our relative [with her emphasizing the relative is from my father's side] and not tarnish her established teaching reputation and career. 

Another example, just after my consultation, the Grab driver was hesitant to pick me up within the premises of NCMH. His impression of going in the "mental", as he said, vicinity made him anxious like he was not supposed to be there. 

Mental Health in the workplace

The stigma extends from personal to work settings. Despite the exisitence of the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (PWD)¹ in the country, not all employers are open to discussing mental health and are still, in a way, discriminative. 

To provide context, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (PWD) states that PWDs shouldn't be discriminated to all regards in terms of looking for work.

I thought about the person I chatted with and her need to have a psychiatric assessment to seek employment. Athough there is a law in the country that states the same treatment should be made in the recruiting or hiring process, employers can still determine whether one passes the standard qualification including fitness². 

Wouldn't that still allow biases from employers on who to hire? Isn't it unfair that individuals with mental health challenges need to take an extra step of getting psychiatric assessment to apply for work?

I'm not a lawyer, a law student or graduate of law. Feel free to further enlighten me on this.

In my workplace, I'm privileged enough that there are programs built that cater to the improvement of an employee's mental health, the awareness, and breaking the stereotypes and stigma. I'm lucky enough to have a line manager that fully understands how important our mental health is and how it helps us mange ourselves and our work better. 

However, there would always be a few who are still not in that space of full understanding despite all efforts by the company. I had a colleague whom I opened up about needing the time to focus well as I was having breakdowns due to series of personal circumstances and it had been affecting my work. Little did I know, this colleague reported me to our head and she wanted me to give her a certificate that I am indeed having mental health issues. She then compared herself saying that everyone has problems and she's not letting it affect work. 

First of all, what she was asking was a violation of the The Data Privacy Act of 2012 as the law covers the protection of one's health records and it shouldn't be given to any individual or organisations for petty reasons. 

Also, it would have been better if she sought help first to my line manager on the matter is she wanted to really know what was going on with me that time. I'm truly grateful to my line manager that time as he was able to make her understand and explained the situation without divulging into my medical records.

Those mentioned are just a few examples out of the many disheartening realities and a challenges to conquer for many mental health practicioners and advocates in this country. 

Progress in battling the stigma

The good news is that despite theses challenges, there are signs of progress. Millennials, like myself, and Gen Z's are more vocal about mental health. Seeing a lot of patients from these generations when I went there is a sign of progress as these generations are more open to signing up, availing the free consultation, and generally, leading to healing.

Also, organizations such as Ateneo Bulatao Center For Psychological Services, Tawag Paglaum-Centro Bisaya, HopeLine, Mental Health PH, etc. and the Local Government Units (LGUs), schools, hospitals, companies, etc., are starting to prioritize and promote mental well-being by facilitating series of free consultations with a pyshocogist and psychiatrists, hosting webinars about having a good mental health, coping stress in work and society, etc.

A long way to go, indeed, but also, we have already come so far in terms of advocating for awareness and breaking the stereotype when talking about mental well-being compared to even a just a decade ago.

In our journey in healing, let's engage further in conversations and contribute to a more inclusive and empathetic society. Until mental health becomes an accepted and normal topic to talk about in all setting and walks of life.

Note: If you or you know someone having mental health-related challenges or struggles, don't be afraid to seek help. Reach out to a mental health professional or you can also check the website of the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) to avail free consultation. You can also check the link to all free hotlines for immediate assiatance on mental health issues: https://blog.opencounseling.com/hotlines-ph/

Your well-being matters a lot!

Sources:

¹An Act Providing For The Rehabilitation, Self-Development And Self-Reliance Of Disabled Person And Their Integration Into The Mainstream Of Society And For Other Purposes – RA 7277, https://ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/republic-acts/republic-act-7277/

² IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT 10524 (AN ACT EXPANDING THE POSITIONS RESERVED FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITY, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7277, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MAGNA CARTA FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITY), https://ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/implementing-rules-and-regulations-irr/irr-of-ra-10524/