This article is based on the lecture of Dr. Blesile Suzette S. Mantaring, Director of the UP Manila Office of Student Affairs, in TVUP’s Stop COVID Deaths Webinar 91. Watch the webinar in full.

March 23, 2022 — It has become apparent that the sudden transition from in-class to virtual classes resulted in physical, emotional, and mental health difficulties in many students. In UP Manila, an assessment of the students’ mental and emotional health showed that they experienced moderate anxiety as well as mild depression and stress since the pandemic broke out.

Among a variety of concerns, the top cause of distress among UP Manila students was the unclear boundaries between home and school. At the same time when they were struggling to adjust to remote learning, sitting in front of their devices the whole day; they were forced to multi-task as they were also expected to help with the household chores.
 

How does UP Manila support students’ mental wellbeing? 

The surveys were conducted by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) to guide the university in creating programs that will reduce the psychosocial burden and help students, as well as faculty, adapt to the circumstances. Among the notable programs are the following:
 

1. Free counseling

OSA guidance counselors offer individual and group counseling daily during office hours. They can be reached through Zoom or Google Meet, email, the LiftUP app, call, or SMS. The group counseling called Usapang Buhay, Buhay na Usapan is offered to students where they can voice out their concerns about face-to-face classes.

2. LiftUP

LiftUP is a live chat app between students and qualified guidance counselors. The student and counselor are both anonymous to each other thus mental health problems can be discussed in a safe, inclusive, non-threatening, and non-stigmatizing environment. This mobile application can be installed on both android and iOS devices.

Through LiftUP, students can choose who among the anonymized OSA counselors they want to consult with. (Peer facilitators are unavailable since the beginning of the pandemic)

3. Annual physical examination and mental health evaluation

All UP Manila students are required to be examined physically and evaluated mentally during the start of the academic year. They are asked to fill out a periodic exam form and submit it to the Health Service.

4. PHQ-9

In the periodic exam form, students fill out the Patient Health Questionnaire for Mental Health (PHQ-9), a tool that will help screen, diagnose, and monitor the severity of their depression. Based on their scores, those with mild depression are referred to guidance counselors, moderate depression to the Department of Medicine and Adolescent Pediatrics, and those who have moderately severe to severe depression will be referred to the Department of Psychiatry. 

A total of 83 students were referred to the concerned offices through the PHQ-9.

5. Online Mental Health Survey

In 2020, the OSA started assessing the emotional state and resiliency of freshmen using the DASS21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale) and Brief Resilience Scale. Through surveys, they were able to gather data to know the state of depression, anxiety, and stress of the students as well as their ability to recuperate from these conditions. 

The results of the online mental health survey among students in the UP Manila main campus and SHS Baler, Palo, Koronadal, and Tarlac.

6. BESTS App

Students are required to record their health status in the “Bayanihan Na! Employee Symptoms Tracking System (BESTS)”, a web-based application that helps monitor and keep track of their temperature and any self-assessed symptoms. The app alerts the focal person of the college if there is a student who shows symptoms of COVID-19 for appropriate action.

7. Tele-Health and Wellness Program

Organized to help the faculty, administrative staff, and students of UP Manila get on the move towards an active lifestyle, participants will engage in tailored one-on-one exercise sessions to improve their health, physical fitness, and wellbeing through enjoyable exercises and helpful health education led by a team of physical therapists and physical therapy interns.

What to expect?

In overview, participants will undergo a quick screening procedure to ensure your safety prior to participation. Once deemed safe, they will go through a series of examinations (including fitness tests) and then, join an exercise group for the exercise sessions. After 8 weeks, their progress will be checked again.

How does the program run?

The exercise sessions will be held via Zoom for 1 hour every Tuesday and Thursday mornings (twice a week). The entire program will run for approximately 8-10 weeks. If these sessions match your schedule and you are interested in joining, fill out this brief registration form. 

Anne Marie Alto