Opinion  

Anyone who’s familiar with the Batman series knows that Joker has severe mental health problems. Thus, when the “Joker” movie came out last 2019 and presented the effects of Arthur Fleck’s mental health that made him into the Joker, it quickly gained recognition.

 

Viewers claimed that the movie “vividly” and “accurately” represented how detrimental the effects of mental health could be on a person’s life – along with the struggles to cope with it, and how society responds. 

 

With the given free time earlier this pandemic, I was finally able to watch the commended film. Not only that, the pandemic gave me time to reevaluate my take on the mental health situation in the country.

 

Arthur Fleck, known as Joker, was said to have a mental health disorder, yet he was estranged and bashed for not acting “normally.” Due to his illness, he was treated differently by the people around him. 

 

One of the most notable lines in the movie is when Fleck wrote, "The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't." 

 

 This line also applies to the real life situation of people suffering from mental health problems, especially since stigmas and discrimination against mental health are still prevalent.

 

In fact, the Mental Health Foundation says that globally nearly 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems say that stigma and discrimination have a negative effect on their lives.

 

Stigmas are known to be one of the major reasons why mentally ill people do not seek professional help. Similarly, they are the reason that people ignore or miss signs that an individual needs medical care.

 

These being said, I would like to argue that the continuous prevalence of stigmas are due to lack of action of the government’s efforts in addressing mental health issues and raising awareness of the people regarding mental health. 

 

In the context of the Philippines, the National Statistics Office (NSO) says that there are at least 17 to 20 percent  adult Filipinos that are suffering psychiatric disorders. On the other hand, 10 to 15 percent children, aged 5 to 10, are experiencing mental health problems. 

 

Most of these Filipinos who are mentally sick face negative treatment due to stigmas. Some experience psychological abuse, physical violence, being restricted, not being supported, being taken advantage of, being neglected, and being rejected. These stigmas are usually experienced from families, neighbors, friends, co-workers, and even employers, based on a study done by BMC Psychiatry in 2018.

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To counter this, the Philippine government passed the Republic Act no. 11036 or the Mental Health Act which seeks to give comprehensive and integrated mental health services to people with mental disorders and their family members. 

 

Although despite this, it is still said that the passed act is suffering from underinvestment.  According to a study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), there is a shortage of  mental health professionals and underdeveloped community mental health services.

 

A recent study done in 2020 by Filipino and Japanese students reaffirms this when they say that the country’s health facilities and human resources for mental health still remain limited.  With only 60 psychiatrists and 22 inpatient and outpatient facilities within the country.

 

 Similarly, there are also very few actions in terms of giving awareness to people. Even with the  Mental Health Act, the government and the education agencies still fail to integrate mental health topics on students’ learning curriculum. Their only means of raising awareness are through seminars/webinars, symposiums, and the likes.

 

Contrary to this, Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones claims that mental health programs are “very well integrated” in the K-12 program. If this is true, then why is it that the reports gathered from multiple online sites – Philippine Stars and Rappler – state that there is a continuous increase in the suicide cases among the youth? 

 

Due to these lapses, people do not not consider nor acknowledge mental health problems as similar to any physical health concerns. This, likewise, causes them to ignore the fact that the mentally ill are suffering and cannot perform in their best shape.

 

With these, I would like to say that it should be in the best interest of the government, private institutions, and the overall collective body to try our hardest in educating ourselves and others in order to stop or lessen the victimization of the mentally ill.

 

If Joker was only placed in an environment more knowledgeable and caring of his condition, then he might not have been seen as a villain in the story, but rather someone who is suffering from something he couldn’t control. 

 

While it is true that individual efforts are crucial in making a better world for people who are mentally sick; however, I believe that the government is also greatly responsible for providing assistance and programs for the afflicted, and ensuring that the people are well educated about the issue. #