Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire
The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday advised Filipinos to develop a coping mechanism to fight the mental and emotional effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the DOH had seen signs of “quarantine fatigue” among Filipinos.
“Iyong quarantine fatigue, after so many months of being quarantined, people feel restless; people feel anxious; they’re irritable,” she said in a Laging Handa briefing.
“Mayroon po silang mga withdrawals, from social withdrawal, mga loss of motivation because of reduced productivity. Ito po iyong mga nakikita natin ngayong mga senyales,” she added.
To avoid these, Vergeire said having a coping mechanism could help.
“We just advise people na kailangan lang po talaga that we will have that coping mechanism. Kailangan tanggapin din sa kani-kanilang mga kalooban na talagang we will not go back to the way it used to be and we should transition to this new normal,” she added.
People should also “stay connected” despite being under lockdown.
“Hindi naman po kailangang lumabas para maging connected. We can use our social media to do that. Always call your friends, your loved ones. And of course, kailangan din po magkaroon tayo ng ibang pinagkakalibangan,” Vergeire said. John Ezekiel J. Hirro
The following institutions offer free mental health counseling:
National Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 09178998727 | 989-USAP (989-8727)
UP Diliman Department of Psychology and Psychosocial Services: 09063743466 | 09167573157 | bit.ly/PsycServPH
Ateneo Bulatao Center for Psychological Services: 426-5982 | bulataocenter.ls@ateneo.edu