Media and Information Literacy

Media and Information Literacy
Tricier Dane Acierto, Jersey Mae Perlas

Kenneth Bryan Atienza Klein Charlvon Quibin
Relaine Grace Chicote Guianne Marie Tercero
Samijah Beanice Medenilla Kyla Sophia Valdez
MONSTERS INSIDE YOUR HEAD:

Project Proposal for Audio-Visual Presentation
I. Objectives
The purpose of the audio-visual presentation (AVP) titled “Monsters Inside Your
Head” is to: (1) produce an infographic AVP that will make people truly understand
depression and its difference from just feeling sad. There are still many people among
us that does not know what the difference of depression and sadness is. More often
than not, people diagnosed with depression are generalized hastily by the public as
people who are “sad” because of the lack of knowledge that we have regarding the
mental disease. (2) It also aims to spread and raise the awareness towards depression
by showing the signs and symptoms, causes and, effects of it. Some people may say
that “there were no signs” after a depressed individual already committed big choices in
life but individuals battling with depression actually give out signs and have symptoms
that we can analyze in order to know that they are depressed. These signs and
symptoms, causes and effects will be thoroughly discussed in the video. And lastly,
through the means of the AVP, the group members intend to stop people from
stigmatizing and misunderstanding a depressed person because mental health is just
as important physical health. This is because most of the time, the public associates
depression to “just sadness” and that it is “just all in the mind”. Some think that it can
easily be cured when in reality, depression is much more than that. The AVP
presentation will aim to let the audience know that being diagnosed with depression is a
difficult thing and that all of us should do what we can and contribute in helping
depressed individuals to get better.
II. Rationale
In the Philippines, mental illnesses are still being neglected among Filipinos.
Many recent controversial issues showed how people treat depression as a joke and
say that it is just all in the mind. Most of the time, people conclude that depressed
people are just acting up. While others assume that being mentally unstable
automatically means being insane or crazy.
Depression is the most common and serious mental disorder that greatly affects
a person's way of thinking and response to certain situations. It causes the person to
feel unexplainable sadness and to lose some of his usual interests. Additionally, it can
lead to the failure of a person in doing a specific task and can also bring various
physical and emotional problems. Though depression is treatable, it may leave serious
consequences when left untreated. The effects of depression are harmful and may
cause permanent damage to one's life. Awareness of the effects of such mental illness
can help break the stigma among people, especially Filipinos who are uncomfortable
with such topics and still does not think that it should be talked about often, and help
them understand that depression is not just “a sickness of a weak person”.
According to Lapena (2015), the World Health Organization (WHO) said that
there are 4.5 million depressed Filipinos. However, only one out of three who suffers
from depression will seek the help of a psychiatrist. The one third of this ratio is not
even aware of their condition. Also, Jean Goulbourn, president of the mental health
advocacy group Natasha Goulbourn Foundation, said that most of the people do not
understand the true definition of depression. She also explained in an interview that
several of the Filipinos highly misunderstand depression and they tend to disregard
mental illness since it is not something that people always see or get involved in. For
them to know better, they should be first taught that depression is not just about
insanity.
Senator Grace Poe also noted that several Filipinos think that depression is not a
serious illness and it is just something that pops out of a sudden (Lapena, 2015). That is
the main reason why most of the depressed Filipinos feel embarrassed of seeking help
for a specialist. Depression, just like other illnesses, can happen to anyone, at any
ages. According to WHO, depression rates increased among the youth. Since this is a
major problem in the Philippines, this study aims to discuss and spread out information
including the importance of having sufficient knowledge about the mental illness, which
is depression to be specific, signs and symptoms, the causes and effects of having or
being diagnosed with depression and most importantly, discuss some of what we can
do in order to help a person struggling with depression.
III. Project Description

The AVP will mainly present the following accordingly: a deeper understanding of
depression and its distinction from just feeling sadness, risk factors that play a role in
the development of depression, signs and symptoms, people who are at risk of
depression, its effects and dangers, and lastly, some recommendation on how to deal
with depression.
An overview of the recent mental health situation regarding depression in the
Philippines will first be shown in the AVP. Then, in order to fully understand depression,
the AVP will discuss the meanings of words correlated with depression.
Winch (2015) defined depression as a serious mood disorder that can affect
one's mental and physical health. It also causes feelings of sadness and loss of interest
in activities of an individual. While anyone could feel sad, moody or hopeless, some
people experience these feelings intensely for long periods of time and sometimes
without any apparent reason at all. However, depression is different from just feeling
sadness. Some of their major differences will be mentioned as follows:
(a) Sadness is an emotion which is a normal reaction to a loss, disappointment,
or other difficult situations and is only temporary or fades in time. On the other hand,
depression is a long-term mental illness that affects a person’s mood, the way he
understands himself and the way he relates to things around him. (b) One of the most
important distinctions between sadness and depression is the broadness of its effects
on the body and mind. While other ways to talk about sadness might be “feeling low”,
“feeling down” or “feeling blue”, depression is much deeper than that. Depression can
be described by others as a terrible feeling of extreme nothingness or numbness. (c)
Also, an individual may say that he is feeling ‘depressed’ but if it goes away on its own
and does not impact his life in a big way, it is most likely not depression.
Afterwards, some of the causes of depression will be provided in this AVP.
Although depression can affect anyone, certain factors may increase the likelihood of
individuals in developing the disorder. According to Healthline (n.d.), life events,
personal factors, biochemical factors, social factors and substance factors are the
possible causes or triggers that are often linked with the development of depression in
an individual. Knowing what factors raise the odds of having depression is very
important to be able to get the best medical care for those people who are experiencing
this kind of disorder.
Depression just like other illnesses, can happen to anyone, at any ages.
However, those suffering from depression do not show the signs and symptoms more
obviously compared to those suffering from physical illnesses. A statistical data by the
Department of Health will be presented to indicate the number of people battling with
depression in the Philippines. Furthermore, if depression is not properly addressed, it
may lead to suicide that may eventually end to death. A data which is also from a study
conducted by WHO regarding the increasing suicidal rates among Filipino youth will be
provided to show that depression mostly occur in teens. It is not unusual for the youth to
feel a persistent sadness and loss of interest in any activities occasionally. Mental
Health America (n.d.) stated that adolescence stage is where the youth are most likely
to experience physical, emotional, psychological and social changes. It is the time in
which, they could encounter issues such as peer pressure, academic expectations and
hormonal imbalances which could inflict them with depression.
Following this, it is important to effectively diagnose people with depression by
knowing its signs and symptoms. In this way, further damages to the depressed person
can be avoided, especially death. A list of some of the signs and symptoms of
depression will be thoroughly discussed. Reduced interest or pleasure and physical
changes are two of the most noticeable symptoms of depression. With this, the effects
of depression will be evaluated. Though depression is treatable, it may leave serious
consequences when left untreated. The effects of depression are harmful and may
cause permanent damage to one's life. Dangers such as suicide rate, self-injury,
reckless behavior, relationship problems, poor school/work performance, addiction and
suicide will be broken down and explained.
After understanding the important things mentioned above, the last part of the
AVP will provide some recommendations on how to overcome. The National Institute of
Mental Health (2015) listed the following:
1. Seek emotional support;

2. Get a professional help;
3. Treating with medicines (e.g. anti-depressants);
4. Undergo therapies such as Talk therapy (where a person talks to a trained
professional about his or her thoughts and feelings; and
5. Call mental health hotlines.
IV. References
Healthline. (n.d.). Depression risks: medical, social, and substance factors. Retrieved
January 14, 2018, from https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/risk-
factors,
Lapeña, C.G. (2015). Special report: suicide and the pinoy youth. Retrieved from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/healthandwellness/524070/special-
report-suicide-and-the-pinoy-youth/story/
Mental Health America, (n.d.). Depression in teens. Retrieved January 15, 2018, from
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/depression-teens
National Institute of Mental Health, (2015). Depression: what you need to know.
Retrieved January 17, 2018, from
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-what-you-need-to-
know/index.shtml
Winch, G. (2015). The important difference between sadness and depression. Retrieved
January 14, 2018, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-
wheel/201510/the-important-difference-between-sadness-and-depression

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Media and Information Literacy

Tricier Dane Acierto, Jersey Mae Perlas

MONSTERS INSIDE YOUR HEAD:

III. Project Description

1. Seek emotional support;

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