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As Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Awareness Month comes to a close, there are still no concrete solutions for the country’s “mental health situation.” As suicide cases have notably risen amid the pandemic, cases of anxiety disorders and other mental health disorders have likewise spiked drastically. 

The longest pandemic-related lockdown in the world has hampered the provision of typical mental health treatments. Mental health treatment was already inaccessible for so many of the masses prior to the pandemic. Now, it has become even more elusive.

Mental health treatment, in general, has been notably more difficult during the pandemic. There are patients who are diagnosed but avoid or refuse to seek treatment because they lack financial or material means to do so. There are also those who show defining symptoms but are not diagnosed or are hesitant to consult especially now that clinical appointments are held virtually.

More often than not, however, mental health has had to take a back seat to grumbling stomachs.

At present, many students who have been stretched beyond their capacities have taken leave-of-absences (LOA) to recover from the onslaught to their mental health brought about by the remote learning setup. Students have been studying at the expense of their mental health, taking hours or days to accomplish a single requirement.

But responsibilities do not stop with academic work. House chores, part-time jobs, and other duties have to be completed as well. Moreover, emotional blows from the death of loved ones also bring forth grief and sadness that worsen the already gloomy situation.

As the pandemic ushers in a “new normal,” there is no shortage of anxiety and worry.

With the Duterte administration’s flagship solutions of militaristic and debilitating community quarantines and other “essential” health protocols, the overall mental health situation in the country worsens. Evidently enough, activism, individual and organizational movements are being stifled, as the country’s economy continues to sputter.

Failed governance is also evident in the passing of unnecessary agenda and programs whereas scientific solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic should be the top priority. 

As dolomite sand is dumped at Manila Bay, which Harry Roque deems to be beneficial to mental health, the divide between the government and its people’s problems, mental health-related or not, only widens. This distance cannot be bridged by simple band-aid solutions. True change in this country can only be driven by progressive action and movement.

Being the “governing head” of the country, Duterte must be the one to spearhead all endeavors to push forward the best interests of the masses and serve the people. Unfortunately, he is the unstable one himself.

It has not been long ago when Duterte promised to ride a jet ski in the West Philippine Sea waters to defend our territory. Unfortunately, Duterte simply retracted such audacity as a joke.

Duterte’s bravado is not strong enough to conceal his failures as president. He promised change, but what he delivered instead was failed and lethargic leadership.