CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-

being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we

handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at

every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health can also

be defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her

own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively

and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or his community. The positive

dimension of mental health is stressed in WHO's definition of health as

contained in its constitution: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and

social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Mental health can affect daily life, relationships, and even physical

health. Mental health also includes a person’s ability to enjoy life – to attain a

balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.

Experts say all people have the potential to develop mental health problems, no

matter how old they are, whether they are male or female, rich or poor, or

which ethnic group they belong to.

common characteristic is that they all affect the person’s personality, thought

processes or social interactions. They can be difficult to clearly diagnose, unlike

physical illnesses.

Mental illness is not sinus infection. The brain is complex and enigmatic,

and mental illness is no different. People cannot just wait it out or take a pill to

make everything go away. This leads to a lot of misconceptions that make

recovery much harder, ranging from the absurd to the contradictory to the

somewhat plausible. All are equally false. Unfortunately, these ideas make it

harder for those suffering from mental health troubles to get the support and

attention they need. The following examples are, “Young people and children

do not suffer from mental health problems”; “People who need psychiatric care

should be locked away in institutions”; “A person who has a mental illness can

never be normal”; “Mentally ill persons are dangerous”; “People with mental

illnesses can work low-level jobs but are not suited for really important or

responsible positions”; “Only violent or unstable people have mental health

problems”; “Mental health problems last forever” and “Treatment is a waste of

time”.

While it still remains a misunderstood topic for some Filipinos, there has

been progress in the Philippines’ acknowledgment of the problem and the steps

being taken to address this health concern. Earlier this year, the country took a step

closer in having its own mental health law. Last year, a national hotline for mental
health assistance went live. Online, concerned citizens pass around hotlines and

resources to refer psychiatrists and mental health resources to each other – both an

indication of how much of a problem it is in the Philippines, and how Filipinos are

now starting to openly seek help.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 100

million people suffer from mental disorders in the Western Pacific region,

including in the Philippines, with depressive disorders accounting for 5.73% of

mental disorders in the region. Globally, more than 300 million people are now

living with depression, the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. In

2004, over 4.5 million cases of depression were reported in the Philippines,

according to the Department of Health (DOH) – but that number is likely to be

much higher, since many of those suffering from depression hesitate to seek help

because of the stigma still surrounding mental disorders.

According to Dinah Nadera, psychiatrist and president of non-governmental

organization Foundation Awit, “There is poor help-seeking behavior for

depression, because people do not see the person’s disturbed’ behavior.” She also

added that “People see that this person is sad and not doing much because he is

losing interest in the things he used to enjoy. They do not understand that this

person is depressed and not simply lazy.”

According to Dr. Lourdes Ignacio (2017), with the country’s population

hitting the 110 million mark, the number of Filipinos who have mental problems

could reach 28.48 million. In addition, there is one in every three Filipinos that is
at risk of mental health problems. Because of the alarming increased number of

Filipinos who could have mental health problems, the first Philippine Mental

Health Act was created and that the researchers want to conduct a study about this

alarming issue.

Mental Health Act 2017, an act establishing a National Mental Health

policy for the purpose of enhancing the delivery of integrated mental health

services, promoting and protecting persons utilizing psychiatric, neurologic and

psychosocial health services, appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes.

Furthermore, mental health status and issues are very much apparent in the

workplace. Maintaining or returning to employment would be difficult and

arduous for people who have experienced poor mental health. Thus, building self-

esteem, confidence and social inclusion become more challenging. Mainly because

there are also many stressors that cause and hindrance these. Given that age, civil

status, job position, job tenure and annual income can be the reasons why the

mental health of workers could be affected. Even sex could influence mental

health.

Black (2008) and Eurostat (2010) mentioned that mental health is much

more common in service sector occupations. Education sector is one example.

Because of this, the researchers want to focus on the employees of Batangas State

University Main 1 to discover and assess the mental health status of employees in

the educational setting. Moreover, assessment of such is the first step in

developing activities to spread awareness about mental health. Thus, considering a

State University Main 1.

Statement of the Problem

This study will determine the mental health of employees in Batangas State

University Main I.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Sex;

1.3 Civil Status;

1.4 Job Position;

1.5 Job Tenure; and

1.6 Annual Income

2. How can the Mental Health of the employees of Batangas State University

Main 1 be assessed according to?

2.1 Emotional Well- Being

2.2 Psychological Well- Being

2.3 Social Well- Being

3. Is there a significant difference among the respondents’ status of mental

health when the respondents are grouped according to their profile

variables?

4. What activity may be proposed to spread awareness about mental health?

This study will focus primarily on the mental health status of employees in

Batangas State University Main I. It will cover the profile of the respondents in

terms of age, sex, civil status, residence, educational attainment, job position, job

tenure and annual income. Also, it will focus on the significant difference among

the respondents’ status of mental health when the respondents are grouped

according to their profile variables. In addition, the employees are to be assessed

according to their emotional, psychological and social well- being.

To be more accurate in the gathering of data, the researchers will need the

assistance of the Human Resource Office to determine the total number of

employees at Batangas State University Main I.

To be able to analyze the problem, researchers will conduct a survey

through the use of questionnaires as their primary data. The researcher will use the

stratified random sampling to distribute the questionnaires among the respondents.

They will also gather some information from the books, internet and other

researches as their secondary data.

This study will be limited to all the current regular and part- time

employees of Batangas State University Main Campus 1. Moreover, retired

employees will not be included. Other campuses of Batangas State University will

not serve as respondents.

The researchers believe that the results of this study would be beneficial to

the following persons:

For the employees of Batangas State University Main I, this study will

help them become fully aware on their mental health status. This will help them to

build and live a mentally healthy community.

For Human Resource Department, this study can guide and help them in

doing their jobs in terms of selection, training, development, motivating and

keeping their employees. These facets can contribute to the employees’ mental

health status.

For the Administrators of Batangas State University Main I, this will

help them to become aware of the mental health status of their employees to

immediately have an act on this. They will be able to contribute in the

improvement of their employees’ lives through giving the importance of mental

health on their job.

For BS Psychology students, this study will help the students increase

their level of awareness towards a better mentally healthy living. This study will

enhance their knowledge on how demographic profiles can affect mental health

status especially the employees of Batangas State University Main I.

and enhance their knowledge about mental health. This can also improve their

ways of dealing with people who has a failing mental health.

For future researchers, the result of this study can give them new

information that can be stored in their minds and an opportunity to learn and know

the new concepts about this research. The study will be a reliable reference

material for related research and it will provide assistance in developing a research

framework in the future.