Ia Dulce F.

Atian Reaction Paper

2015-0299

#YouWillBeAlright: Building Resilience and Nurturing Hope

The forum was hosted by UP organizations, spearheaded by Atty. Gaby Concepcion. The speakers
shared about their experiences involving mental health. Dhan De Leon, a UP student, spoke about
dealing with mental health issues, his depression, and dealing with anxiety as a student, and even in
the workplace. Journalist, TJ Manotoc, shared how he dealt with mental issues since he was a
teenager, and how this personal battle with depression has inspired him to advocate for mental
health awareness. The forum was actually inspired by his video, You will be Alright, which was
released this year. The last speaker was Dr. Guy Claudio, the Dean of the College of Social Work and
Community Development in UP, speaking as a reactor and sharing the University’s current and
future programs about mental health awareness, as well as emphasizing the need for
institutionalizing multi-modal approaches to mental, emotional and stress resiliency.

A brief panel discussion followed which involved some of the audience members, sharing their own
stories, and raising some issues for the panel to answer. Although briefly done, the discussion tied-
up the forum well.

Overall, the forum was able to achieve its objective to raise awareness on the advocacy of mental
health awareness, and promote strategies for developing resilience on a personal as well as
institutional level for the students, teachers, and other stakeholders of the University.

As an observer, the forum also made an impact to me because the topic is something that we can all
relate to, whatever social, economic, or political background we are from. Although mental health is
a widely discussed issue, it was actually the first time that I was able to attend a formal discussion
on the matter. There is a need for more open and guided forums on mental health as issues relating
to it are getting more complex and involved on various aspects of our lives. We may be personally
struggling with mental health issues, or we might know someone who does, so we must learn about
it, and we must know how to deal with it. Mental health is not an abstract idea. Like dealing with
any other health issue, awareness is key. The speakers encouraged us to fight the stigma, and talk
about mental health more frequently and openly. There is a need to develop mental, emotional and
stress resiliency. By promoting mental health awareness, we are advocating for health, as well as
empowerment of individuals and the society.