UP CPH celebrated the World Mental Health Day with Dr. Susan Mercado who gave a talk  on “Mental Health for All” during the October 2022 virtual Flag Raising Ceremony of the college. 

Decemer 15, 2022 — In celebration of the World Mental Health Day and the National Mental Health Week, the College of Public Health’s Department of Health Promotion and Education, in collaboration with the CPH Communications Unit/TROPMED Philippines, hosted a virtual Flag Raising Ceremony on Oct. 10 with the theme, “Bolstering the Call to Achieve Mental Health for All.”

Dr. Susan P. Mercado, director at the Hawaii Public Health Institute and adjunct faculty at the UP Manila National Institutes of Health, discussed how the pandemic along with wars, climate change, and political and economic instability affected the magnitude of mental health problems globally. She then shared lessons of history on how humans, particularly the World War II survivors from concentration camps, overcame great adversities. Dr. Mercado shared lessons from Victor Frankl’s book entitled, “A Man’s Search for Meaning”.

According to her, the psychological reactions experienced by concentration camp prisoners are still important features of modern society today. These reactions or stages include shock, apathy, and depersonalization which result in bitterness and disillusionment.

The first is to find the meaning of our suffering and to look for meaning in everything we do. The second takeaway is to recognize that we have the freedom of choice in responding to our external circumstances.

“There are choices on how we deal, or how we manage, or how we cope with our conditions, and we need to look at something very deep. Otherwise, we will not be able to overcome the issues that we’re facing as a human race,” Dr. Mercado emphasized.

“At the core of this, taking care of yourselves, and finding your own space where you can find your peace with your God, and living in the moment, would be really the key for having mental health available to everybody” 

Using the health promotion lens, Dr. Mercado also discussed the protective factors promoting mental health as follows:

First, wear your faith. “We are in an environment where we can share our faith and talk about that without being apologetic about it,” Dr. Mercado added.

Second, practice self-care. Do not feel guilty for giving yourselves some free time, some chance to do things that you like to do, things that are meaningful to you.

Third, connect. Connect with your families and your loved ones. Eat meals together and know who your loved ones hang around with. Moreover, connect or interact with other living things. Spend time with your pets if you are a pet parent or with your plants if you are a “plantito” or “plantita”.

Fourth, express yourself through arts. Appreciate music and create some arts and crafts by painting, sculpting, or knitting.

Lastly, Dr. Mercado discussed stigma and discrimination and how it is a deeply-rooted problem in our society. To address these issues, she emphasized that it is important to not be judgmental and to always be kind and respectful.

“At the core of this, taking care of yourselves, and finding your own space where you can find your peace with your God and living in the moment, would be really the key for having mental health available to everybody,” Dr. Mercado concluded.

Charmaine M. Cañizares, Dr. Ernesto R. Gregorio, Jr., Dr. Sheriah Laine M. de Paz-Silava, Dr. Fernando B. Garcia Jr. (UP Manila College of Public Health)