DESPITE OUR own self-image as a ?happy? people ? resilient, optimistic, family oriented and spiritual ? Filipinos, it turns out, have the highest incidence of depression in Southeast Asia (WHO, 2002). In 2004, over 4.5 million cases of depression were reported in the Philippines, with 3 percent of Filipinos clinically diagnosed as depressed.
Among those suffering from depression, about a third will seek help and treatment; another third will suffer the symptoms but will be too ashamed to seek help because of the stigma attached to the illness; while another third will suffer the symptoms but remain unaware of what is wrong with them.
Though described as a ?common mental disorder,? depression is an illness still bathed in secrecy, ignorance and shame. Characterized by ?sadness, loss of interest in pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration,? depression can be temporary, chronic or recurrent. It can impair an individual?s ability to study, work or take pleasure in daily activities, and may lead to dependence on alcohol, drugs or dangerous activities. At its worst, it could end in suicide.
And yet, points out Dr. Eleanor Ronquillo, a psychiatrist, ?depression is easy to diagnose and is highly treatable, and suicide is preventable.?
Among the speakers at the press conference launched by the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation in preparation for World Suicide Prevention Day, the different approaches to treating and managing depression emerged. Those from the medical field spoke of institutionalization, counseling, and the use of medication to address the chemical changes in the brain that can lead to depression. Kuh Ledesma, who said she and her daughter went through a depressive episode after the end of her marriage, spoke of relying on faith and Scripture through the process of healing.
TV host TJ Manotoc and his mother, Aurora Pijuan, on the other hand, spoke of TJ?s battle with depression during his teen years. After they decided jointly that medication wasn?t for him, TJ says he went through a slew of therapies: ?meditation, crystal healing, acupuncture, name it I went through it,? but now that those days are behind him, he says he realizes that ?family support is crucial, and if it wasn?t for my mom I wouldn?t have endured it.?
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?EACH of you is a gateway to saving lives,? affirmed designer Jeannie Goulbourn, who founded the NGF in 2007 after the death of her daughter Natasha.
The foundation?s latest advocacy in pursuit of its aim to raise awareness and understanding of depression and suicide is the need for more mental health services for overseas Filipino workers and their families. ?This involuntary family separation results in disruption of family structure and leads to dysfunctional coping on both sides of the ocean ? both for the migrant worker and for the family that was left behind,? the foundation says.
Dr. Ma. Teresa Villasor, in a presentation based on in-depth interviews with 10 OFW women, cited the factors that could lead to depression among migrant workers, including: financial pressure, worries about their children, uneasy relations with extended family members, disappointment with spouses, and isolation and loneliness, not to mention possible abuse from employers.
Clearly, there is a need to pay greater attention to depression and ways to recognize and treat those suffering from it. But as Dr. Benny Vicente of the National Center for Mental Health pointed out, with only 388 psychiatrists to serve over 90 million Filipinos, obviously there are ?few resources and few trained practitioners? available for addressing this serious and growing problem. Lifting the stigma and encouraging those in need of help to go for treatment would be a good first step.
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AUGUST was Breastfeeding Month and to mark the end of the observance, SM Supermalls with Unicef and the NGO Beauty, Brains and Breastfeeding held gatherings with mothers and the media to promote the practice of breastfeeding and encourage mothers who are already breastfeeding to continue doing so as long as they could.
At the media lunch, SM program director for environment Liza Silerio and program director for breastfeeding Bernadette Velasco spoke on SM?s commitment to the care of breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Starting with the first breastfeeding station in Megamall in 2006, the SM malls now have a breastfeeding station in 36 malls around the country. The objective, they said, is mainly to provide nursing mothers with a place in the mall where they could feed their babies in privacy and comfort and, so far, by their own count, they have served around 60,000 mother-baby pairs.
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ALSO present were three young mothers who gave testimonials on their experience with breastfeeding. Daphne Oseña Paez, a television host and designer, spoke of breastfeeding three baby girls in a span of eight years, despite her TV commitments and commercial shoots. While breastfeeding is a natural act, it doesn?t come naturally to all mothers, said Daphne, and in fact ?I learned as I went along,? noting how at one time she felt the need to ask help from a lactation consultant.
Patricia Bermudez Hizon, the mother of two healthy boys, said breastfeeding should become ?part of a couple?s communication,? stressing how her husband Vince literally supported her through breastfeeding, helping hold up their weighty boys when they became too heavy for her.
Issa Abeja of the NGO ISBB, the mother of six-year old Joaquin and two-year-old Amina, spoke of the need to ?educate and empower? more mothers not just to breastfeed but also to demand for more public acceptance and support for the practice.
