Closing the Gap | Pulling Thread

Mental health is not an easy topic to tackle. However, it is each and every person’s responsibility to try to understand how this aspect of life affects us all. During the pandemic, there have been reports of fear-induced anxiety, distress, depression, and insomnia throughout the general population (Tee et al., 2020). Before we can effectively address these issues, we must first understand the reality of mental health today.

Matters of the Mind

Being mentally healthy means that an individual actively contributes to society as they are able to healthily cope with the normal stresses of life (World Health Organization, 2018). Mental health also plays an important role in our lives as social beings. It deals with how we interact with others and how we react to situations.

A 2019 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showed that the youth are more prone to mental illnesses compared to other age groups (SAMHSA, 2019, as cited in National Institute of Mental Health, 2021). However, adults are not exempt. Regardless of age, we must all value our mental well-being because, just like any other illness, mental illness can affect anyone at any time.

Inside the Mind

When a person is diagnosed with mental illness, their behavior, mood, and way of thinking are affected. While we can read books defining mental illnesses or outlining symptoms, it is very difficult to understand how people actually feel when they are experiencing mental health problems. Though no description will be perfect or universal, we hope that this will give you a deeper understanding and a closer look into the reality of mental illness.

Anxiety Disorders

Everyone experiences some amount of anxiety in response to the normal stressors of life. However, Anxiety Disorders—including but not limited to Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder—go beyond regular, everyday worries and cause a person to respond to seemingly normal situations with fear or panic.

When this anxiety hits its peak, many people experience episodes of intense worry or fear without warning, also known as anxiety attacks. If you try to ask someone who is in the middle of an anxiety attack and get little to no response, remember that they may be having a hard time explaining themselves in the moment. This is why we must always make an effort to approach them with concern rather than irritation. Try to figure out what they need right now, whether it is someone to sit with, a glass of water, or just some time alone, and do not push them to share if they are not comfortable.

Mood Disorders

The most common and well-known mood disorder is Depression, but there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. Depression comes in many different forms; it can be temporary or chronic, and it can manifest in different ways with different levels of severity. Depression can feel like persistent sadness with no apparent reason for being sad, numbness that can make you feel demotivated and detached from the world, or even anger and irritability.

Though reaching out to people with depression can seem like a daunting task, always approach them with compassion and understanding. Try to empathize with what they are feeling and understand that they do not want to be in this state and that, like any other illness, depression is not a choice. This illness makes regular things like going to school or work, maintaining good hygiene, and even waking up very difficult. Do not blame someone with depression for being “unproductive” and instead look for ways to make things easier for them through this difficult time.

Nobody chooses or controls their illness.

Another mood disorder which is much more misunderstood is Bipolar Disorder, in which a person experiences extreme highs called manic episodes and extreme lows called depressive episodes. During a state of mania, a person may experience extreme optimism, energy, and excitement. It can also give a person an amplified sense of self-confidence and allow them to do things which people would typically find tedious. On the contrary, depressive episodes deal with the extreme lows and are similar to what a depressed person might experience.

None of this means that a person is “crazy” or “baliw.”

During these episodes, we need to show compassion but not pity. They need someone who understands what they are going through and not someone who will sermon them on what they should be like or push them to summon the optimism that they display during manic episodes. Trying to understand what they are going through and giving your support can make a huge difference in itself.

These two are definitely not the only mood disorders out there. However, we have chosen to cover them here specifically to give a broad picture of what mental illness can be like. We do encourage everyone to do more research and seek out new resources to continue learning about every aspect of mental health so that we can foster more conversations like these in the future.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders—including but not limited to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating—are conditions that may cause intrusive thoughts about food, eating, or body image. Having eating disorders can feel as if you are always at war with yourself. While it may be difficult to imagine how people with this disorder feel and think, we must do our best to empathize with them and understand that it is about so much more than beauty standards and eating habits.

Eating disorders are much more complex than just unhealthy dietary practices. In reality, it is intrusive negative thoughts and feelings that feed these physically detrimental behaviors. This illness distorts one’s thoughts and creates an unhealthy connection between food and emotion, whether that means associating food with a negative self image or using food to cope with intense emotions.

For people with eating disorders, food and weight can be extremely sensitive topics. Try not to discuss weight with, “Ang payat mo na,” or “Tumataba ka nanaman,” whether you are trying to compliment them or reprimand them. Always focus on taking care of your loved one and finding the most compassionate way to respond to them and promote their wellbeing. If you are met with defensiveness or dismissal, tread carefully but always put their wellbeing first.

Beyond the Surface

Mental illnesses are real disorders that leave a huge impact on the people we cherish. However, becoming knowledgeable about these topics does not happen overnight. Grasping the reality of mental health is a continuous process that we must all undergo, and more than anything, it is important to keep an open mind during these discussions.

The information we have provided here is in no way comprehensive and is purely for educational purposes. We have not been able to cover every single mental health problem or mental illness, but we have done our best to touch on the most common ones. We are also not in any way trying to encourage people to self-diagnose or to diagnose others without the guidance of a mental health professional. We simply want to share information and promote a greater understanding of mental health as a whole for the betterment of youth and adults alike.

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, almost everyone has been struck with a constant worry about one's health, financial state, shift in work or school, relationships with other people, or fear of tomorrow. For so many people, all of this stress has piled up and has unfortunately led to mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and general mental distress (Tee et al., 2020). Taking a break from stressors and searching for ways to resolve current issues can greatly revitalize one's mental well-being. Admitting difficulty asking for help from colleagues can also alleviate the stress you have been dealing with. When typical coping mechanisms are not enough, however, seeking out professional help does not need to be a last resort.

Wanting help is enough.

Mental health challenges, whether temporary or recurring, will never be an easy thing to overcome. Though it might be difficult to shift our points of view, everybody needs to realize that getting professional help is not a bad thing. Just as nobody would ever be shamed for going to a doctor when they have a terrible headache or back pain that just won’t go away, nobody should be looked down upon for going to a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

With negative beliefs surrounding mental health still so ingrained in us today, we must continue working to empower and amplify the voices of those struggling. We must all continue to learn about mental health, become more open-minded and supportive, and spread the message of acceptance to everyone around us. As we do our best to educate ourselves and others, we will rebuild the connections once frayed by stigma or cut by conflict, and address the gaps created by misunderstanding and widened by constant generational tensions. Once we realize that mental health does not belong exclusively to the youth but is common to all of humanity, we can finally work together to close the gap and improve society alongside each other instead of apart.

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Contributors

Co-written by Randee, Grace Catan, and Penelope Dela Cruz

Edited by Grace Catan

Research gathered by Reinier Navarro

Bibliography

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Anxiety disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm05

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Bipolar and related disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm03

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Depressive orders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm04

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Feeding and eating orders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm10

National Institute of Mental Health. (2021, January). Mental Illness. Retrieved from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml

World Health Organization. (2018, March 30). Mental Health: Strengthening Our Response. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response