Mind Your Mental Health
By OTTO VON C. FORTUN
Teacher II
Ong Yiu Central Elementary School
Around 3.6 million Filipinos are suffering from mental disorders amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to initial results of a Department of Health (DOH) survey.
There are a lot of categories under the umbrella of mental health disorders amid the pandemic, DOH data showed that the most number of calls came from people suffering from depression with 1,145,871 followed by alcohol use disorder with 874,145.
While it is true that Filipinos are resilient in time of difficulties, mental health disorders will always find its way to change a person’s perception of things especially when he/she has no one to turn to since a lot of people are now isolating from others for protection.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has evoked overwhelming reactions and emotions from people. Many have had their livelihoods affected, others are worried about keeping their families safe. There are many reasons why we need to take extra care now when it comes to mental health,” said Duque. “We hope that by raising more awareness on the urgency of this issue, we can inspire more commitment towards helping those in need.”
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that people should work together to increase awareness and address mental health concerns during the pandemic.
Duque emphasized that mental health is a “serious matter and could not be left unattended.”
He urged those who have mental health problems not to hesitate in calling mental health hotlines because there “is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to taking better care of one’s mind.”
World Health Organization also released an illustrated guide for stress management for coping with adversities while the Philippine Health Department offered remote care services through the National Center for Medical Care (NCMH) Crisis Hotlines and other online courses to ease these problems. ###
