Ostracized? There’s nothing wrong with seeing a psychiatrist

Dear Dr. Jao,

Why is the subject of mental illness or depression so heavily stigmatized within the Filipino culture? Why is it seen as taboo? Why would a diagnosis or treatment bring great shame upon the family? Why do many Filipinos prefer to suffer in silence and not admit that a problem exists? I am an American married to a Filipina from Dagupan. I was ostracized by her family because I attempted to seek treatment for my wife after she gave birth.

Peter of U.S.A.

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Dear Peter,

I am sorry to hear about your being ostracized by the family of your Filipino wife after you sought psychiatric treatment for her post-partum depression.

Yes, there is still a lot of stigma here in the Philippines attached to receiving treatment from a psychiatrist. This is one of the issues being addressed by the Philippine Psychiatric Association, Inc. We have been urging our members to accept TV and radio interviews in order to educate the general population about psychiatric disorders particularly about their biological and psycho-social root causes and various modes of psychiatric interventions. This is also one reason why I am now writing for The Philippine Star’s Allure section. There is still an existing misconception that people who go to psychiatrists for treatment are crazy and cannot be helped. A lot of parents who had brought patients to us were in fact saying that they were not aware that there was a specialist in the field of medicine who could help their hyperactive child, for instance. They had been burdened with the inability of their child to focus in school and were amazed that with just a few weeks of treatment, their child was more manageable and was bringing home higher grades.

Please don’t give up though in seeking professional help for your wife. Perhaps you can encourage your in-laws to seek a second opinion about the condition of your wife from a Filipino psychiatrist so that they can be more convinced of the need for psychiatric intervention for your wife and the benefits from such a treatment.

Dr. Nina Halili-Jao

(Send your letters to The Philippine Star c/o Allure section or send them directly to Suite 506 Medico Bldg., Lourdes St. cor. San Miguel Ave., Pasig City; fax no. 631-3877; tel. no. 633-3893; Suite 309 Medical Arts Building, St. Luke’s Medical Center; telefax: 723-1103; e-mail to ninahalili_allure2001@yahoo.com.)