DISCLAIMER: If you see someone that’s struggling, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and also if you’re showing signs and/or symptoms of anything out of the ordinary, seek professional opinion/advice from a medical team.

In the Philippines, 3.3 million Filipinos live with depressive disorders, with suicide rates of 2.5 males and 1.7 females per 100,000 persons, according to the Department of Health. The World Health Organization (WHO) also reported over 2,000 cases of suicide from 2000 to 2012, most of which involved people aged 15 to 29 years old. 

Among Filipino youth aged 13 to 17, 11.6 percent have contemplated taking their lives and an alarming 16.8 percent have attempted to do so.

There is a scarcity of mental health professionals in the Philippines, with only a little over 500 practicing psychiatrists. The ratio of 0.52 psychiatrists per 100,000 persons is lower than in other countries with similar income levels such as Malaysia (1.27 per 100,000) and Indonesia (0.3 per 100,000). Furthermore, access to mental health services is not equally distributed across the country, as most psychiatrists work in for-profit or private sectors in larger urban cities such as Metro Manila. 

On 21 June 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the landmark Mental Health Act, the first mental health act legislation in the Philippines. It outlines a framework for the integration and implementation of optimal mental health care in the Philippines and protects the rights of people with mental health conditions, their family members, and industry professionals.

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