Mental Health in the Philippines: BYS Launches a Support Website
BYS recently launched Break Your Stigma, a support website that helps create more awareness on mental health in the Philippines.
Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, the team behind BYS stepped up to create awareness on mental health in the Philippines. Through the years, we’ve seen the growth in apprehension and the need for treatment. However, despite the progress, many Filipinos still find it difficult to acknowledge their issues and seek help.
Breaking the Stigma
Perhaps it’s because of the lack of understanding as well as access to assessment and treatment. There’s also the stigma that marks shame, disgrace, or disapproval among family and friends. We’re always expected to behave with propriety and dignity even though deep inside, we’re already crumbling.
And with the pandemic causing even more stress and anxiety, this only adds up to a decreased mental state. Parents and kids alike have just been coping in different ways. Moms, in particular, tend to experience bouts of depression because they always choose to put their families first instead of prioritizing their overall health.
BYS Says Be Kind to Yourself
During the virtual event to celebrate the company’s 9th anniversary, Angie Goyena, president of iFace, Inc., which is the distributor of BYS Philippines, shared, “BYS stands for Be Yourself. But it’s really hard to Be Yourself if and when you don’t love yourself or when your current self is going through something extremely difficult.”
“It’s hard if you can’t break the stigma of acknowledging your internal pain and seeking help, and most importantly judging ourselves and others for not having a perfect mental health state.”
Challenging Perceptions of Mental Health in the Philippines
BYS Philippines believes that through education and empathy, negative perceptions of mental disorders can change for the better. And so, they partnered with Dr. Honey Carandang, founder of the Mindfulness, Love, and Compassion Institute for Psychosocial Services, Inc. They also collaborated with Gisa Paredes, licensed psychologist and founder of Healing Minds, as well as the creative team of Where to Next. By partnering with these experts, the brand hopes to be able to navigate mental health soundly and responsibly. Additionally, they can help determine what concrete and relevant support to offer.
The Launch of a Mental Health Support Website
To help break barriers that discourage people from acknowledging their mental health condition and seeking help, BYS Philippines launched Break Your Stigma. It’s a digital platform that gives Filipinos access to a directory of mental health professionals. Moreover, it provides resources that can empower them to take control of their own healing. Through this website, the brand hopes we can all learn how to be kinder to ourselves and one another.
“We should normalize talking about mental health the way we talk about skincare. It’s okay for your skin and your mental health to not be perfect. And to seek help for both. It’s as perfectly acceptable to have a psychiatrist as it is to have a dermatologist. If you don’t feel guilty when your skin or makeup isn’t flawless, you shouldn’t feel guilty when your mental health isn’t either,” Angie Goyena explains.
The Path to Healing
Everyone’s journey to healing is different. But you don’t have to go through it alone. Together, we can work to break the stigma on mental health in the Philippines.
For more stories on mental health right here on Modern Parenting:
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