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POSITION PAPER: People’s Mental Health and the Myths about It

GROUP 5

ASTRERO, PATRICK LUKE


LOPEZ, LANCE ANGELO
GO, ANGELO
PIRING, RALPH DANIEL
RAMOS, RAYMARK
RODRIGUEZ, JELA MACKENZIE
RODRIGUEZ, RICKY BOY
Introduction

The biggest mental health issue that lies within the country is the lack of knowledge and stigma
with mental health related illness and those who suffer from it. People tend to see individuals
who suffers from mental related issues with stigma. Stigma tends to lead up to the reluctance to
seek help or treatment from the patient, lack of understanding from others and in some cases
death due to isolation and bullying.

The stigma and discrimination from people who experience mental health related issues have
been well recorded throughout the Philippines. Studies have been conducted which concluded
with negative attitudes with people who suffer mental health related issue are widespread among
Filipinos and is a common knowledge. This is supported by the study Mental Health Stigma
Among Filipinos: Time For A Paradigm Shift (Rivera, Antonio, 2017) as it states that there is
indeed a high stigma associated within the Philippines.

Mental health issues are widespread and prevalent especially to teens ranging from 15 years old
to young adults. Our mental health is displayed by how we handle our social relationship,
behavior, academic motivation and many more aspects. If it becomes severe, the person might
attempt to commit suicide or worse. In fact, suicide is one of the leading causes of death because
of mental health problems that became critical. This is one of the main reasons why mental
health awareness is relevant to our society.
Counter Argument

• First Counter Argument

It is held by many people that the notion of mental illnesses should not be prioritized.
Statistically, people who are suffering mental illnesses are way too insignificant compared to the
majority who are living life with the most positive outlook. This thinking is commonly found in
variety of families or community, where they approach mental illness as something that is a vice.

If a person is to admit that something is wrong within themselves, despite the courage that it took
to open up, their confession should be ignored. People having problems about their feelings and
emotions should suck it up, since everything that they are expressing or experiencing is all inside
their head; they should be able to control these sensations. Depression is an act of laziness; it is a
result of being spoilt and ungratefulness. Weakness results in anxiety, and panic attacks are
overexaggerated. Everything that a person is experiencing was brought by none other than
themselves.

Should we prioritize mental health and illnesses? The answer is a resounding yes! Although, we
have to understand their limitations. Mental illnesses are dissimilar to bacteria or viruses that
externally invades the body, and mental illness do not necessarily negate the responsibility of
people for their actions. Nevertheless, these illnesses are useful in describing some of the painful
suffering that people are experiencing. Although it has its limitations, mental illnesses’ concepts
have greatly improved to structure the mental health scope for decades. These mental health
researches help people to connect into the proper care that they require and won’t vanish any
time soon.

The study conducted by the Global Burden of Disease in 2015 reported that 3.3. million Filipinos
suffer from depressive disorders, with suicide rates in 2.5 males and 1.7 females per 100,000.
The World Health Organization, however, thinks that the numbers could be just a portion of the
actual problem, especially because in a Catholic country like ours, talking about mental health
creates a stigma among Filipinos, thus suicide incidents could be under-reported.
• Second Counter Argument

In general, people with mental illness should be discriminated. Unlike physical symptoms,
psychological symptoms are socially disadvantageous, it highly affects their work and personal
life. Additionally, people who have mental illness are often dangerous and unpredictable.

People who are having mental health issues are inefficient. They tend to be emotionally unstable
which leads into inferior competency. With their unpredictable tendencies, it is better to isolate
them somewhere that would benefit both of the parties instead of coexisting.

Many people believe that persons with mental ill health are violent and dangerous, when in fact
they are more at risk of being attacked or harming themselves than harming other people. Mental
illness is rather common than one might think. Chances is that even you might have experienced
a symptom of a mental health condition. Despite this prevalence, those suffering emotional
torments are often self-conscious and fearful that people might view them as ‘not normal’. That
self-consciousness can lead to feeling too stigmatized to seek help. Rather than being indifferent
or hateful to people who are experiencing these issues, we should accept them, and discover
solutions for their symptoms.

Philippines has finally recognized mental health as a basic human right after the signing of
Philippine Mental Health Law (Republic Act No. 11036, or RA 11036). This law was
officialized on June 21, 2018. The bill had been in the Congress, pending for approval for almost
20 years – a miserable reminder of the stigma that haunted discussions of mental health issues
among the citizens of our beloved country. The law does not only guarantee mental health as a
fundamental human right, it also improved the Filipinos’ access to mental health services. This
two-pronged approach firmly dispelled the two pervasive misconceptions that has colored any
discussion on mental health: 1) that mental health is not as important as physical health, and 2)
that depression, anxiety and other mental health issues can be chased away by “positive
thinking” without the help of mental health professionals.
• Third Counter Argument

People with mental illness are given too much attention. They claim that it is as lethal as physical
diseases wherein the symptoms and risk of demise are mostly different. Victims of psychological
disorders are given sympathy by people who overvalue such ailment.

The society have given attention to these so called “mental disorder victims” and are helping
them by raising awareness through seminars, active medical support, social media platforms, and
public establishments (organizations or institutions). Mental health care depends on how one
think, or in other words, a person can control the mind of oneself. It is normal for a human to
encounter challenges in life and dwell in distress, but the help itself must come from a close
friend or relative that does not have to go public for this is just a small personal matter and not to
be overvalued.

The attention given for people with psychological disorder are of much importance. Victims of
physical and mental diseases do have different symptoms, but it is insignificant to the
“importance” itself considering the fact that no matter what a person’s disease is, this must give
treatment. Giving the thought that people who help victims of mental disorder are just
“exaggerating” is erroneous since the support given by them helps with treating mental illness
effectively. It is shown and proven by a lot of research how serious psychological disorders are
and it is better to inform and involve more people about it rather than ignoring and potentially
aggravate such fatal condition.

The misconception about it is those are two different aspects. As a matter of fact, psychological
and physical disorder are connected to one another. Research shows that mental and physical
health is equally important and can affect its counterpart as well. According to an article from
Mental Health Foundation, "Poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing
mental health problems. Similarly, poor mental health can negatively impact on physical health,
leading to an increased risk of some conditions. People with the highest levels of self-rated
distress (compared to lowest rates of distress) were 32% more likely to have died from
cancer.1,2 Depression has been found to be associated with an increased risk of coronary heart
disease."
• Fourth Counter Argument

Mental illness is a sign of weakness. People who claim to have a mental disorder only use
this as an excuse to either to seek sympathy from others just for attention or to stay in their
comfort zone. They dwell on fear and hopelessness that leads them to complain about having
no fortune in life.

There are numerous people who suffer from misery in life wherein the brain activity
somehow responds to such despair. Although successful people whom have encountered the
unfortunate events in life did not only surpass it, but also gained wisdom from it. Negative
thoughts are just chemical reactions from the brain that every human life must encounter
since this is a way for people to grow stronger. A weak mind will simply reside on one’s
thoughts and be blame others or oneself in order to get pitied and be noticed by others,
wherein in most cases, mentally ill people often have this common trait.

A relevant case is that there is a difference between a person who is sad and depressed.
Thoughts can be deceiving which is the message behind the quotation “The brain is
powerful”. It is no doubt that the reflection of a person’s actions upon the consciousness
towards the drive of surviving trials in life itself. The capability of the human brain, which is
indeed powerful, on a person have an accurate relevance on mental health. The second
statement is, however, not applicable to psychological disorders since it is a similar case with
somatic lethal disorders that needs to be treated. Sadness is a normal human emotion that is
associated with difficulties like loss of a loved one, a breakup or other hurtful event that
results in an untoward outcome. At one moment, it can fade away and ultimately resolves
eventually. Depression is a crucial diagnosable mental health condition that needs
medication, can be inherited, and can potentially be incurable if not treated in the early
stages.

According to an article by Beyond Blue Support Service If it does get worse, stages of
depression may occur such as, “Psychotic depression, which means a person with this type
depressive disorder can lose touch with reality and experience psychosis.;
Melancholia, which means the person starts to move more slowly. They're also more likely
to have a depressed mood that is characterized by complete loss of pleasure in everything, or
almost everything.”
Our Argument

• First Argument

Mental health illness has a vital role in terms of student’s coping mechanism to their academic
performance. Nowadays most of the students are struggling with their academic performance,
this is because of the pressure and anxiety that they experiencing that make them more
unfocused. According to the article The Importance Of Maintaining Mental Health In College
(Tull, Feldman, 2017) that The American College Health Association informs colleges that
mental health needs are almost directly related to measures of academic success. Their 2015
survey found that students who reported psychological distress also reported receiving lower
grades on exams or important projects; receiving lower grades in courses; receiving an
“incomplete” or dropping courses altogether; or experiencing a significant disruption in thesis,
dissertation, research or practicum work.

A National College Health Assessment survey conducted in 2015 found that in the last 12
months, approximately 56 percent of college students experienced overwhelming anxiety, 34
percent experienced depression to the point that it was difficult to function, and 9 percent
seriously considered suicide.

• Second Argument

Most untreated mental illness leads to suicide. On a study conducted in 2015 9 out of 10
respondents with a mental illness, says that discrimination has a negative effect on their lives. It
is easy to see what discrimination could do to someone. And how it could deteriorate their
mental health more. According to Suzzane Worak-Peck of USC suicide is the second leading
cause of death worldwide for 15-29-year-old. Suzzane Worak-Peck also said that most people do
not seek treatment for mental illness due to the associated stigma. These statements prove that
most people with mental illness do not try and seek treatment because of the stigma, and because
of that just seeks for a quick and permanent solution, suicide.

Discrimination towards people suffering from a mental illness should stop, for self-harm and
suicide to stop as well. According to the World Health Organization, per 100 000 population
10.6 people commit suicide, 13.5 when only counting males, and 7.7 when only counting
females. The highest suicide rates are European males with 24.7

We must make sure that people with mental illness get the medication they need. According to
the US Department of Health and Human Services. Most Americans lack access to mental health
treatment. 56% of adults with mental illness did not receive care in the last year. And according
the National Institute of Mental Health Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (46.6 million)
experiences mental illness in a given year. With these proofs
References

Mental Illness. (2019, February). Retrieved May 8, 2019, from


https.//www/numh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml#part_154785

15 Mental Health Facts You Should Know. (2017, May23). Retrieved May 8, 2019, from
https://dworakpeck.usc.edu/news/15-mental-health-facts-you-should-know

BlackBourn A. (2016, May 14). Student mental health Important to achieving success. Retrieved
from https://badgerherald.com/news/2016/03/14/the-mind-matters-student-mental-health-
importabt-to-achieving-academic-success/

Tull D. (2017, Sep 1). The Importance of Maintaining Mental Health In College. Retrieved from
https://www.nami.org/blogs/NAMI-blog/September-2017-/The-Importance-of-Maintining-
Mental-Health-in-Col

(n.d). Mental Health is Important. Retrieved from


http://www.centerpointeinc.com/resources/mental/-health-information/Importance-of-Mental-
health.html

(2019, March 15). Mental health issues increased significantly in young adults over last decade.
Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/19035110908.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326412761_Mental_Health_Stigma_Among_Filipinos
_Time_For_A_Paradigm_Shift

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