The House Between the Trees<\/a>,\u201d for example, followed the case of two brothers with schizophrenia in Negros Oriental, and illustrated these challenges. On the one hand, it showed that medical treatment, even in its delayed arrival, made a significant improvement in the patients’ conditions; on the other, mental health professionals and support can indeed be difficult to access in the province, and that stigma persists even within the very health institutions meant to serve patients.<\/p>\nYu Chua also noted that stigma and the lack of a unified reporting system could result in undiagnosed or \u201chidden\u201d cases of schizophrenia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may be underrepresented in the statistics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Opisima echoed that stigma surrounding schizophrenia contributes to the lack of reliable data.<\/p>\n
Some families may be hesitant to disclose that a relative has the condition out of fear of being discriminated against by their community and thus choose to keep the condition private.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we talk about stigma, it can feel like a death sentence. Many families are ashamed to have a family member with schizophrenia,\u201d Opisima said. \u201cAt the end of the day, they would like to protect the integrity of their family.\u201d<\/p>\n
For families dealing with schizophrenia, however, the condition itself is just one part of the challenge.<\/p>\n
It is not unheard of for some people with schizophrenia to be subjected to derogatory labels, such as \u201ccrazy (baliw, siraulo, may saltik)\u201d or \u201caddict,\u201d or to be viewed as \u201cdefective\u201d or \u201cdangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Per Vanguardia-Batanes, stigma in mental illness may cause people to hide their symptoms, delay seeking professional help, and even avoid treatment altogether. Stigma can also affect opportunities after recovery, including employment and social relationships.<\/p>\n
Yu Chua shared that some patients seek professional help only months or even years later out of shame, or lack of knowledge that schizophrenia is actually a treatable medical condition.<\/p>\n
By then, he said, their condition may have deteriorated further and become more difficult to treat.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Opisima said that some people, particularly in far-flung areas, may not recognize schizophrenia as a mental health condition.<\/p>\n
He noted that more familiar terms such as \u201cdepression,\u201d \u201canxiety,\u201d or even \u201ccrazy (baliw)\u201d may be more commonly used.<\/p>\n
To help in the proper data collection of schizophrenia cases, Opisima suggested strengthening mental health education at the barangay level, including training local officials to recognize mental health conditions, respond appropriately to those suffering from the condition, and refer patients to doctors, hospitals, or mental health centers.<\/p>\n
Recognizing early symptoms of schizophrenia<\/p>\n
Schizophrenia does not necessarily suddenly appear in its full form.<\/p>\n
According to Opisima, early symptoms in a person with schizophrenia may include social withdrawal, increasing isolation, developing a world centered around one’s own perceptions, hearing voices, or developing beliefs that appear disconnected from reality.<\/p>\n
Such changes may signal the need for a professional medical assessment.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, it develops gradually. It doesn\u2019t immediately become full-blown,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vanguardia-Batanes underscored that families should consider seeking professional help once symptoms begin affecting a person’s daily functioning, including their ability to socialize, work, study, eat, or care for themselves.<\/p>\n
The presence of suicidal thoughts or a risk of harming oneself or others also requires immediate medical attention.<\/p>\n
Yu Chua similarly advised families to promptly consult a mental health professional when psychotic symptoms appear in their loved one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf any of these are present, the person should promptly consult since these are not normal experiences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When \u2018kulam\u2019 and possession enter the conversation<\/p>\n
In the Philippines, experiences associated with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions may sometimes be understood through cultural or spiritual beliefs.<\/p>\n
For some communities, unusual behavior or experiences may be attributed to being cursed (kulam), possessed (sanib), or even encounters with supernatural entities such as duwende and nuno.<\/p>\n
But mental health professionals say these beliefs should be understood within the context of a person’s culture and background, and not simply mocked, dismissed, or immediately pathologized as symptoms of a disorder.<\/p>\n
Vanguardia-Batanes emphasized that culture plays an important role in how people make sense of what they are experiencing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn’t dismiss this idea because it is part of culture, our beliefs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She explained that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5, recognizes the concept of “cultural concepts of distress,” which acknowledge that a person’s cultural background can influence how they understand, describe, and experience distress.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means that a person\u2019s culture can influence how they understand and describe their experiences and how they live,\u201d Vanguardia-Batanes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the importance of recognizing a person\u2019s culture. Before we diagnose someone, we first need to understand their background and upbringing. They may come from a specific culture that is different from ours or from the environment we are familiar with. This also includes their religious beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mental health professionals, thus, need to consider a person’s cultural and religious background when assessing their experiences. This helps them distinguish between beliefs that are accepted within a particular culture and experiences that may be signs of a mental health condition.<\/p>\n
For some families, seeking help from a faith healer (albularyo) or religious leader may also be part of that sociocultural practice.<\/p>\n
Vanguardia-Batanes cited a 1995 study<\/a> published in the International Journal of Social Psychiatry involving six Asian countries, including the Philippines. It found that some families may turn to traditional or religious sources of help, such as faith healers and religious leaders, before consulting psychiatrists or psychologists.<\/p>\n\u201cThis is why it is very important for us, as mental health professionals, to understand a person\u2019s beliefs. We cannot tell them that what they did was wrong or that they should not have gone to an albularyo. No, we don\u2019t say that,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Yu Chua said spiritual practices and professional mental health care can coexist as part of a person’s overall well-being.<\/p>\n
\u201cPsychiatry and spirituality are not two opposite things but are unified concepts that lead to the holistic well-being of a person,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For example, prayers and other spiritual practices, which are sources of comfort for some people, can continue alongside appropriate medical and psychological care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a person finds it meaningful or comforting to pray to God, psychiatrists encourage that. Professionals will try their best to meet a patient in the context of their culture,” he added. “It is just important to approach the condition from a biological, psychosocial, and spiritual perspective and not solely fixate on one dimension.”<\/p>\n
The Philippines has several mental health hotlines and services. <\/p>\n
DOH-NCMH Hotline: 0917-899-8727 and 02-7989-8727 Natasha Goulbourn Foundation Hopeline: 0917-558-4673, 0918-873-4673, and 02-8804-4673 In Touch Crisis Line: 0917-800-1123, 0922-893-8944, and 02-8893-7603.<\/p>\n
\u2014CDC, GMA News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trigger warning: This article mentions schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, and other mental health conditions. First of two parts In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":920390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[64,63,137,514,5005,515,4015],"class_list":["post-920389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mental-illness","tag-mentalhealth","tag-schizophrenia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=920389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/920389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/920390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=920389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=920389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=920389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}