Topic 1: Anxiety

Written by: Marie Antoinette Rodriguez

Edited by: Liezl Julianna C. Villacater
Anxiety refers to the anticipation of a future concern and is more associated with muscle
tension and avoidance behavior. According to the American Psychiatric Association, Anxiety
disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness and involve excessive fear or anxiety.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30% of adults at
some point in their lives. But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments
are available. Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives. (Panchal et al.,2021) 
During the pandemic, about 4
in 10 adults in the U.S. have
reported symptoms of anxiety
or depressive disorder, a share
that has been largely
consistent, up from one in
ten adults who reported these
symptoms from January to
June 2019. A KFF Health
Tracking Poll from July 2020
also found that many adults
are reporting specific negative
impacts on their mental health
and well-being, such as
difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use
(12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.
As the pandemic wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures expose many people
to experiencing situations linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation and job loss
and (Tee et al.,2020) a study was conducted to examine the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms
and identified the factors contributing to psychological impact in the Philippines. (Tee et
al.,2020) A total of 1879 completed online surveys were gathered from March 28-April 12, 2020.
Collected data included socio-demographics, health status, contact history, COVID-19
knowledge and concerns, precautionary measures, information needs, the Depression, Anxiety
and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) ratings which
results are IES-R mean score was 19.57 (SD=13.12) while the DASS-21 mean score was 25.94
(SD=20.59). In total, 16.3% of respondents rated the psychological impact of the outbreak as
moderate-to-severe, 16.9% reported moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, 28.8% had
moderate-to-severe anxiety levels, and 13.4% had moderate-to-severe stress levels.
Female gender; youth age; single status; students; specific symptoms; recently imposed
quarantine; prolonged home-stay; and reports of poor health status, unnecessary worry, concerns
for family members, and discrimination were significantly associated with the greater
psychological impact of the pandemic and higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression
(p<0.05).
Adequate health information, having grown-up children, perception of good health status and
confidence in doctors’ abilities were significantly associated with the lesser psychological impact
of the pandemic and lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression (p<0.05). In which
Conclusion are During the early phase of the pandemic in the Philippines, one-fourth of
respondents reported moderate-to-severe anxiety and one-sixth reported moderate-to-severe
depression and psychological impact. The factors identified can be used to devise effective
psychological support strategies.

References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2021, June). Retrieved from
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-
disorders
Panchal, N., Kamal, R., Cox, C., & Garfield, R. (2021, February 10). Retrieved from KFF:
https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-
mental-health-and-substance-use/
Tee, M. L., Tee, C. A., Anlacan, J. P., Aligam, K. G., Reyes, P. C., Kuruchittham, V., & Ho, R.
C. (2020, August 24). Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.
Retrieved from NCBI:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7444468/#__ffn_sectitle

Topic 2: Depression
Written by: Janier Heirron T. Lugue
Edited by: Micaella M. Arcemo
Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the
way you think and how you act. It is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness
and loss of interest. There are many types of depression, the common one of which is called as
Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression. Despite differences in prevalence and
incident rates, all types of depression affect how you feel, think, and behave, leading to a variety
emotional and physical problems.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression affects and estimated on in 15
adults (6.7%) in any given year. It was assumed that one in six people (16.6%) will experience
depression at some time in their life. Depression can occur at any time, but on average, first
appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are also more likely than men to experience
depression, with some studies showing that one-third of women will experience a major
depressive episode in their lifetime. There is a high degree of heritability (approximately 40%)
when first-degree relatives (parents/children/siblings) have depression.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple
episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day may include:

 Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness

 Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters

 Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies, or
sports

 Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much

 Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort

 Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain

 Anxiety, agitation, or restlessness

 Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements

 Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame

 Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things

 Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or

suicide

 Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable
problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities, or relationships with
others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.

Depression can affect anyone even a person who appears to live in relatively ideal
circumstances.
Several factors can play a role in depression:

 Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms

of depression.
 Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has
depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
 Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who
are generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.
 Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse, or poverty may
make some people more vulnerable to depression
There are effective treatments for moderate and severe depression. Health-care providers may
offer psychological treatments such as behavioral activation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), or antidepressant medications such as Selective
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs). Health-care
providers should keep in mind the possible adverse effects associated with antidepressant
medication, the ability to deliver either intervention (in terms of expertise, and/or treatment
availability), and individual preferences. Different psychological treatment formats for
consideration include individual and/or group face-to-face psychological treatments delivered by
professionals and supervised lay therapists.

Psychosocial treatments are also effective for mild depression. Antidepressants can be an
effective form of treatment for moderate-severe depression but are not the first line of treatment
for cases of mild depression. They should not be used for treating depression in children and are
not the first line of treatment in adolescents, among whom they should be used with extra
caution.

References:
American Psychiatric Association (2021). What is Depression?
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression
Mayo Clinic. (2021) Depression (Major Depressive Disorder). Mayo Foundation for Medical
Education and Research [MFMER]. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007

Topic 3: Suicide
Written by: Carlo Miguel C. Fajardo
Edited by: Micaella M. Arcemo
Suicide is one of the major concerns globally, affecting the lives of many which may seem the
result of deep hopelessness. It became the last resort for some individuals who believe that there
are no possible solutions for their problems. Suicidal attempt is a primary factor for suicide cases
in the general population, causing for around 700,000 people a year to lose their lives. Also, it is
the fourth leading cause of death among individuals who are 15-19 years old. Low and middle-
income countries are found to be part of global suicide’s incidence rates of 77% unlike in high-
income countries where there is no sign of the addressed issue. In the Philippines, suicide is the
27th leading cause of death in year 2020. Increased death rates in the country was also
documented being 25.7% primarily because of intentional self-harm according to the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA).
There are factors to consider about suicide. Individuals who are facing health conditions (chronic
pain or illness), financial instability, and relationship problems are prone to commit suicide.
Suicidal behavior may also arise because of feeling and/or state of having isolation, experiencing
abuse, violence, disaster, and other encountering other conflicts. Groups of people who are
vulnerable and dealing with prejudice such as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and
Intersex (LGBTI) community, prisoners, indigenous people, and refugees and migrants are seen
to have rates of suicide. Psychological disorders are also possible causes of occurrence of suicide
attempts aside from a previous or first attempt. Social anxiety, schizophrenia, posttraumatic
stress or trauma, depression, dissociation, body image issues, bipolar disorder, and eating
disorders are mental disorders that are associated to suicide. Other risk factors are history of
suicide in the family, substance misuse, access to lethal means, and exposure to the suicidal
behavior of others.
Warning signs and preventions should be given importance to know if someone is contemplating
about committing suicide. The several indicators or displaying external behaviors of an
individual who is considering suicide are:
 Showing extreme mood swings
 Having feelings of revenge or talking about initiating revenge
 Withdrawing from others or isolating oneself
 Sleeping too much or too little
 Acting agitated, restless, or anxious
 Increasing the use of alcohol and/or drugs
 Talking about being a burden to others
 Talking about feeling trapped or unbearable pain
 Talking about feeling of hopelessness or no purpose in life
 Looking for way to kill oneself
 Talking about wanting to die to kill oneself

Some common methods of suicide are committed through the use of pesticide (part of around
20% of global suicide in rural agricultural areas in low- and middle- income countries), the use
of firearms, and hanging.
There are effective evidence-based interventions proposed by the WHO as an approach to
suicide-early identity, assess, manage, and follow up who is affected by suicidal behaviors, foster
socio-emotional life skills in adolescents, interact with the media for responsible reporting of
suicide, and limit success to the means of suicide. The following are foundation pillars that
should be combined with the interventions to be more efficient on preventing the increasing rate
of suicide: awareness raising, funding, situation analysis, multisectoral collaboration, capacity
building, and surveillance and monitoring and evaluation. Other protective factors to be
considered problem solving and conflict resolution skills, strong connection to loved ones,
effective mental health; easy access to variety of clinical interventions, and connection with
health care providers.
References:
American Psychiatric Association (2021). Suicide Prevention.
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/suicide-prevention
Good Therapy (2021). Suicide. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/suicide
Psychology Today (2021). Signs that Someone Is Contemplating Suicide. Sussex Publishers,
LLC. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/suicide/warning-signs-suicide
Santos, B. (2021, March 17). Suicide Rate Up in 2020 as Pandemic Takes Mental Toll on
Filipinos. The Philippine Star: l!fe. https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/589512-
suicide-rate-philippines
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education [SAVE] (2021). Warning Signs of Suicide.
https://save.org/about-suicide/warning-signs-risk-factors-protective-factors/
World Health Organization [WHO] (2021, June 17). Suicide. https://www.who.int/news-
room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide