Every individual has a different capacity in responding to his or her mental health problems.
This was the take of DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire when asked about her reaction to the recent statement of Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. that the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program can help "cure" mental health problems.
“Ang masasabi ko lang (All I can say is), it’s not going to be the same for every person. Iba-iba ang capacity ng isang tao to respond and to become resilient on their own (The capacity of a person to respond and to become resilient on their own is different),” said Vergeire on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
“Iba-iba rin ang mga kailangan ng bawat tao para sila ay maging mentally healthy (Each person needs different things to be mentally healthy). It’s not going to be the same for each person,” she added.
Vergeire said that they are coordinating with the Department of Education in order to improve the mental health services in the different schools.
“ so we can ensure that the mental health wellness ng ating mga estudyante ay maipatupad at mauplift natin,” she said.
Vergeire said that mental health hotlines were also available.
The health official also said that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will soon offer a mental health package to make mental health services more accessible.
“Hindi naman kailangan laging ginagamot. Hindi kailangang i-discriminate. Just the counseling minsan ay nakakatulong na para sa ating mga estudyante (Treatment is not always necessary . There’s no need to discriminate. Sometimes, counseling can already be helpful to our students ),” she said.