According to recent studies, as shared by a Filipino Senator, 1 out 5 adult Filipinos suffer from a mental disorder. This represents an average of 88 reported cases of mental illness for every 1,000 Filipinos.

The thing is that many people in the country don't see mental illness as a true illness. I have seen people say that mental health isn't important in the Philippines since we are considered one of the happiest people on earth.
Sorry to say this but its not always about being happy or sad, there are a lot of factors that affects people.

They see it as an imaginary illness or something arbitrary which most of the time makes it worse for the person experiencing it. Once this topic is raised in most groups the first thing that comes to mind is "crazy" or "disgrace"

With the current mindset, it is very difficult to admit and ask for help when it comes to this issue. As many people see this as a rich man's illness or a ploy to get attention. They continue to ignore the rising number of suicide cases, they continue to ignore the warning signs.

It seems that articles and doctors aren't just enough for people to understand, it is the time that people see that ask for help is good and that people who claim to be feeling this kind of things should not be disregarded.

It is suggested that to challenge this stigma is through first-hand contact with people who experience these problems but is it really going to change the way people see it. Perhaps it's time that education of the masses be given priority so that they may understand what truly this is about.