In recent reports, there was a 149-percent increase in the average monthly calls for urgent help received by the National Center for Mental Health. In 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that deaths caused by suicide rose by 57.3 percent from 2020. These numbers prove that the Philippines is still lagging behind in terms of providing quality mental health resources and services to individuals battling with mental health challenges.
For nearly two years, Mind You has been working to end the stigma through various destigmatization programs like providing workforces access to talk therapy, among others. To further raise awareness on mental health, Mind You is hosting the momentous National Mental Health Summit for the second year around in partnership with the Department of Health, The Australian Embassy, SM Aura Premier and the City of Taguig.
With the central theme around #FindHope, the Summit aims to lift the spirits of fellow Filipinos despite the hardships and trials that we have gone through during the pandemic. This national advocacy event will be from Oct. 25 to 26 at the SM Aura Samsung Hall at the Bonifacio Global City. With a collective reach of about 79,000 people worldwide in the previous hybrid summit, it is expected that this year’s dynamic (combination of live interaction and streaming options) event will allow more participants to witness firsthand the growing landscape of the industry, especially with the lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions.
The event will focus on six key pillars that correlate to one’s overall well being namely: mental
health, financial stress, food and nutrition, youth & education, physical health, and art therapy. There will be plenty of activity booths, masterclasses and keynote speakers catering to these specific six key pillars which aim to give participants the right tools to strengthen their personal health and wellbeing.
The two-day event will give industry experts, mental health advocates and professionals a platform to educate the public through talks, panel discussions, masterclasses, and lived experiences. Each individual participating in this year’s National Mental Health Summit has generously donated their time as their way of advocating for this significant cause.
The National Mental Health Summit 2022 is not possible without the Department of Health, The Australian Embassy, SM Aura Premier and the City of Taguig and sponsors such as Break Your Stigma (BYS), Telus International, The Farm, live streaming giants Uplive and Kumu, media partners Manila Bulletin, CNN Philippines and WheInManila.com.