The 2022 National Mental Health Summit Aims to Lift the Spirits of Filipinos

Little by little, the Philippines is breaking the stigma on mental health. However, we are still lagging behind, particularly in the support we can get for issues, like anxiety and depression. To raise further awareness on mental health in the Philippines, Mind You is hosting the 2nd National Mental Health Summit. On October 25 to 26, the program will go live at SM Aura Samsung Hall at the Bonifacio Global City. 

A Drastic Increase in Monthly Hotline Calls 

Filipinos are, for many people, inherently positive. This may be true, considering our country has “consistently ranked in the Top 5 of a global optimism index.¹” 

That doesn’t mean though, that mental health is not a public health concern. In fact, there is a report from National Center for Mental Health that there was a drastic increase in the monthly calls in the recent months. Pre-lockdown calls about depression were only at about 80 monthly – in 2020 it rose to nearly 400¹. 

A report likewise said 1 in 10 young Filipino adults has moderate to severe depression. And that theirs is associated with suicidal ideation². 

However, there’s an even more pressing concern: in just a span of a year, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that deaths caused by intentional self-harm or suicide rose by 57.3%³.

#FindHope Aims to Lift the Spirits of Fellow Filipinos

The 2nd National Mental Health Summit will be held on October 25 to 26 at SM Aura Samsung Hall at the Bonifacio Global City. The summit will center around the theme, #FindHope. It aims to uplift Filipinos from the hardships they are going through particularly during the life-changing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Additionally, Mind You, in partnership with the Department of Health, The Australian Embassy, SM Aura Premier, and the City of Taguig, is hosting the summit for the second time. With its dynamic setup (live interaction and online streaming), they hope more people will participate, especially with the lifting of restrictions. 

Many organizations and companies will sponsor this two-day event. This includes Break Your Stigma (BYS), TELUS International Philippines, The Farm, live streaming giants Uplive and Kumu, media partners Manila Bulletin, CNN Philippines and WheInManila.com.

The Summit Focuses on the 6 Pillars for a Person’s Overall Well-Being

The second National Mental Health Summit will feature multiple activity booths, masterclasses, panel discussions, and talks. Industry experts, mental health advocates and professionals will head these activities. 

Besides raising further awareness on mental health in the Philippines, they will also focus on the ‘6 Pillars’. These correlates to one’s overall well-being, namely:

• Mental Health
• Financial Stress
• Food & Nutrition
• Youth & Education
• Physical Health
• Art Therapy

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano Fervently Supports the Summit

In a statement, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano said, “I fully support the National Mental Health Summit 2022 and its cause to empower people and create awareness-raising platforms on this very important matter. I am confident that with everyone’s cooperation, we will all craft more solutions toward addressing the mental health crisis here in our country.”

Learn More About the 2022 National Mental Health Summit

Mind You’s vision is “To help 1 million people overcome stress, anxiety, and depression with the best mental health care by 2025.”

As such, they are hard at work to provide quality mental health services for Filipinos. Interestingly, they have services for Small and Medium Enterprises, large organizations, and individuals. They also host events, like the National Mental Health Summit to reach more people. 

To learn more about the 2022 National Mental Health Summit and register to attend live in person, you may click the link https://findhope.mindyou.com.ph/ and follow Mind You’s Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Twitter, Tiktok, and Kumu accounts for updates.

There is a stigma associated with mental health issues in Filipino culture which prevents many people from seeking help early on. But this is slowly ending. However, we are still lagging behind when it comes to the support we can get.  The 2nd National Mental Health Summit aims not just to bring more awareness on mental health in the Philippines but also to lift the spirits of Filipinos.

Learn more about Healthy Mind here.