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Become acquainted with the global power city of The Philippines! (Photo by Mary Tuano on Unsplash | @_mtuano)

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Metro Manila is located in the southwestern portion of Luzon and the region is geographically divided into 4 zones: the Coastal Margin, Guadalupe Plateau, Marikina Valley, and the Laguna Lowlands.

According to the Köppen climate classification, Metro Manila has a fairly momentary dry season from January through May and an extensive wet season from June through December.  It is also the most occupied region in the Philippines, the 7th most populated metropolitan area in Asia, and the 3rd most inhabited urban area in the world; the population of the National Capital Region as of May 1, 2020, is 13,484,462 based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing which accounts for about 12.37 percent of the Philippine population in 2020.

Metro Manila accounts for 37.2% of the gross domestic product of the Philippines in 2013. Furthermore, it has the highest per capita GDP in the country at ₱183,747. The region makes it to the Global Top 30 cities according to property consultancy firm Jones Lang Lasalle, recognizing the economic scale, vast population, large gross domestic product, and BPO specialization of the area as its competitive edge. Furthermore, it ranks 3rd for the top business process outsourcing global destinations, next to Bangalore and Mumbai.

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The State of Mental Health in The Philippines

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The State of Mental Health in The Philippines

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A qualitative study conducted by Tanaka et al. in 2018 showed outcomes of the public belief about mental disorders which consist of three themes:

One is familial problem, wherein the family disowns a family member who suffers from a mental disorder because they believe that it can be inherited.

Second is unrealistic pessimism and optimism about the severity of the disorder, wherein the mentally ill either would certainly suffer severely from it or would be able to overcome their agony on their own.

Third is the oversimplified chronic course, wherein people without mental illnesses self-diagnose the ones affected and anticipate a full recovery in the short term.

Because of this stigma, mental health has never been looked after by the Philippine government even when the country passed its first Mental Health Act and Universal Health Care Law where only 5% of the healthcare expenditure is directed toward mental health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) - Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems in 20017, there are only 7.76 hospital beds and 0.41 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, and this ratio is lower compared to other Western Pacific countries that almost has identical economic status as the Philippines, such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

The WHO also recorded that mental illness has become the third most common disability in the Philippines, wherein six million Filipinos live with depression and anxiety, and because of this, the country has the third-highest rate of mental disorders in the Western Pacific countries. According to the Department of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) Special Initiative for Mental Health recorded that in 2020, more than 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from at least one kind of mental, neurological, or substance use disorder. And so, it is important to recognize mental health especially in the center region of the country as it is the most populated area.

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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash | @priscilladuprees

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What is Mental Health & The Importance of Recognizing It

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What is Mental Health & The Importance of Recognizing It

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Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being; it affects how we think, feel, and act, as well as helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. It is important to recognize one's headspace in order to create a healthy lifestyle, and it substantially contributes to every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

There are cases that some may not focus on looking after their mental health and this can cause mental health problems. It's never easy to analyze someone's lifestyle to let one differentiate mental illness from actions and thoughts that might be typical behaviors of a person or from a possible result of a physical illness because every illness has its own symptoms.

If one or more of the following are experienced by someone, then it can be an early warning sign of a mental health problem:

Excessive worrying or fear

Feeling excessively sad or low

Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning

Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria

Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger

Avoiding friends and social activities

Difficulties understanding or relating to other people

Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy

Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite

Changes in sex drive

Difficulty perceiving reality such as delusions or hallucinations

Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior, or personality

Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs

Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes

Thinking about suicide

Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress

Intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance

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Mental health problems are common but help is available if you are to seek it. People who suffer from mental health problems can get better and many recover completely. There are many ways to nurture a positive mental headspace, one may consider the following:

Getting professional help if you need it

Connecting with others

Staying positive

Getting physically active

Helping others

Getting enough sleep

Developing coping skills

These will enable someone to acknowledge their full potential, cope with the stresses of life, be more productive, and make meaningful support to their respective communities.

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An informative conversation to help us understand the aspects of the world online | Gemma Styles Podcast on Spotify with guest speaker Zoe Sugg

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An Open Discussion on the Positive & Negative Sides of a Life Online

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An Open Discussion on the Positive & Negative Sides of a Life Online

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This is the podcast where each week we’ll meet a guest who’ll help us pay attention to something we should know about, but maybe don’t. This week, we’re talking about anxiety and life online; how social media has evolved, speaking openly about Mental health and the pros and cons of doing so, and bei…

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Listening to music that matches your mood can also be helpful in releasing emotional tension | Ariana Grande's Breathin on Youtube

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Sometimes music is the medicine the heart and soul need!

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Sometimes music is the medicine the heart and soul need!

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Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash | @austindistel

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Taking Control of Our Relationship with the Internet

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Taking Control of Our Relationship with the Internet

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According to the literature review Online Social Networking and Mental Health written by Dr. Igor Pantic, writing in, for the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there is little doubt that the internet and social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have had an outstanding influence on the way that people communicate. But with this stigma still extends the positive impact of the internet as it can be a tool for mental health counselors to have an understanding and development on mental health, after all, technology continues to improve many aspects of daily life for the better, and the arena of mental health is no exception.

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The impact of technology has widened into the domain of health care, and it is clear that technology also is making positive changes in terms of mental health care. Research has concluded, however, that the very tools that can help weaken mental health issues, such as social media apps, can be highly involved in mental health problems in different contexts. As Pantic emphasized, more research is needed before definitive conclusions are drawn, but still, for mental health counselors entering the field, an elaborate study on the different degrees of relationship people have with technology and mental health is necessary for effective practice. Counselors are compelled to expand their technical expertise while being aligned with their respective ethical guidelines and the rule of law. We should not let the internet completely distract us from reality, let us instead embrace it for being a positive impact on the world as it provides numerous help and support to make the world function effectively and efficiently just like emailing and instant messaging services to any part of the planet.

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Our dependence on technology may have adverse psychological effects. The authors of a 2016 systematic review of JMIR Mental Health talk about the relationship between social networks and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Their research found that people who understood that they had more negative social interactions online and who were more susceptible to social comparison experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, there are also physical health effects such as eyestrain, poor posture, sleep problems, reduced physical activities, and overall low productivity, these are all possible symptoms that will help trigger mental health problems. And so, while there does appear to be a link between social media and mental health, a significant determining factor is the types of interactions people feel they are having on these platforms. The recent boom in technology has changed the lifestyle of many because there will always be possible risks, so if one is uncertain about the effects that technology has on them, they should consider taking a digital detox and cutting back their time online.

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Technology: A Force of Good for Mental Health?

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Technology: A Force of Good for Mental Health?

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It may sound foolish that technology shares a positive impact on one's mental health when all that we hear are its negative features. Let me tell you that there is more good than the poor side of the online space and we could go on and on about them, but here are the notable ones, take a look:

Eliminates barriers to accessing mental health. Today's generation has evolved so much and has been more open to virtual therapy as it is more comfortable and convenient for those who are experiencing mental health problems.

Which will lead us to make it easier for people to reach out for help. There are more than 10,000 apps that one can navigate online in 2018 as Apple identified self-care apps as their App Trend of the Year with a growing consumer rate of 130%.

More funding is going to mental health technology options. According to the National Academy of Medicine, the value of the global digital health market was $118 billion as of 2019 with mental health as one of the fastest-growing sectors.

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Photo by Tim Geodhart on Unsplash | @nofilter_noglory

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Photo by Katarzyna Grabowska on Unsplash | @kalljet