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Entrance of the National Center for Mental Health.  Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Entrance of the National Center for Mental Health.  Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

National Center for Mental Health

Arra Perez

ABS-CBN News

<div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171921589284420201026-health-workers-protest-nmhh-JC-12.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Entrance of the National Center for Mental Health.  Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Entrance of the National Center for Mental Health.  <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA -- The Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development (DOH-MMCHD) believes no one is spared from experiencing mental health issues -- and a key to normalizing these problems is to talk about them more. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">DOH-MMCHD Director Dr. Rio Magpantay is also determined to prioritize the reduction of the &quot;stigma&quot; on </span><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/22/doh-vows-better-mental-health-services"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/22/doh-vows-better-mental-health-services">mental health problems</a></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Nagsimula siguro noong unang panahon na kapag ikaw ay nagkakaroon ng hindi magandang sitwasyon sa iyong kalusugan in terms of pag-iisip mo, tinatago ito. Even ang family, tinatago din siya... Even pagpapakonsulta, kahit kayong ordinaryong tao parang ayaw nilang aminin na minsan na sila nagpapakonsulta sa psychiatrist or psychologist, so stigma pa rin iyan. Dapat ma-reduce natin iyan,&quot; he told ABS-CBN News during the launch of  the Reaching Individuals for Self-Empowerment through Unified Partnership or RISE UP program.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(It probably started a long time ago, that when you experience a difficult situation regarding your mental health, you hide it. Even the family hides it. Even consulting, even ordinary people don&#x27;t want to admit that they sometimes consult a psychiatrist or psychologist, so that is still a stigma. We should reduce that.)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Self-awareness: kailangan kasi makita natin o maibigay natin na tayong lahat pwedeng makaranas nito. Wala namang exemption dito... Ang stigma kasi kung laging pinag-uusapan, nawawala iyan. So bale kung hindi pag uusapan laging nandoon, so we have to be aware,&quot; he added.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(We need some self-awareness to recognize or acknowledge that all of us can experience this. No one is exempt. The stigma is lessened if it&#x27;s always talked about. If it&#x27;s not talked about, it remains, so we have to be aware.)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/10/bfp-launches-mental-health-hotline-1504" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/10/bfp-launches-mental-health-hotline-1504" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: BFP launches mental health hotline</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The RISE UP program is a show of commitment of national and local government agencies to care for the mental health of Filipinos. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Magpantay cited some best practices being implemented by concerned agencies through the program. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Nakita natin talaga mga kabataan, the schools must be also empowered to give their own programs for their own students kasi kailangan din nila ng kakayahan. Kahit naman nandoon iyong school, kung wala namang kakayahan iyong ating mga teachers, halimbawa, kung wala ding kakayahan iyong mga guidance counselors, parang mababalewala din. Kaya isa iyon sa mga pakikipagtulungan namin sa DepEd... So schools pa rin ang napakagandang lugar kung paano natin makakausap iyong mga estudyante,&quot; he explained. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(We have really seen that for our young people, the schools must also be empowered to provide their own programs for their students because they also need the capability. Even if the schools have programs if the teachers, especially the guidance counselors, don&#x27;t have the capability, it will be ineffective. This is what we are working with the Department of Education since schools are still a great place to talk to the students.)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Iyong mga health centers natin, kailangan din equipped din iyong mga tao doon. Kaya may training tayo din sa ating mga municipal health officers, city health officers tungkol sa kalusugang pangkaisipan,&quot; he added.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(Our health centers also need to have equipped personnel. That&#x27;s why we provide training for our municipal and city health officers regarding mental health.)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The official shared that the DOH-MMCHD is crafting a &quot;mental health council&quot; that will soon be launched.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">He said the council will set priorities that agencies may follow in conducting their respective mental health programs.</span></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XLGYxdsJLZs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>DOH-MMCHD Director Dr. Rio Magpantay is also determined to prioritize the reduction of the "stigma" on mental health problems.</p>

DOH-MMCHD Director Dr. Rio Magpantay is also determined to prioritize the reduction of the "stigma" on mental health problems.

No one is exempted from mental health issues: DOH-Metro Manila

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No one is exempted from mental health issues: DOH-Metro Manila

Arra Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 24, 2024 04:00 PM PHT

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Department of Health

mental health

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