Ibinahagi ni Tuesday Vargas kung papaano niya hinarap ang pagsubok sa mental health issues, kabilang ang pagkakaroon niya ng Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Sa kaniyang Facebook post na "10 things most people do not know about me," nagkuwento si Tuesday tungkol sa kaniyang pagkabata at kung paano siya natutong magdesisyon sa sarili, entrepreneurship, at marami pang iba.
Ayon kay Tuesday, na-diagnose siya na may high-functioning autism at ADHD noong 12-anyos siya. "Suddenly my young life made sense. All that ‘ang kulit ng batang yan!’ was clear to me."
Gayunman, hindi siya umiinom ng mga gamot, kundi sumailalim siya sa cognitive behavioral therapy, isang karaniwang klase ng talk therapy na "can be a very helpful tool in treating many mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, also called PTSD, or an eating disorder," ayon sa Mayo Clinic.
Sa kaniyang post, ibinahagi ng komedyante ang testing period bago siya pumasok sa Manila Science High School at napag-alamang mayroon siyang "IQ of 146 which is borderline moderately to highly gifted."
“But with my ADHD I find it hard to focus in school and deal with social interactions," pagpapatuloy niya, at sinabi niyang madalas siyang ilarawan sa kaniyang mga report card na, "Matalino pero makulit."
Sinabi pa ni Tuesday na nakaranas siya ng iba't ibang klase ng pang-aabuso habang lumalaki, bagay na hindi na niya ito idinetalye.
Naging single mom si Tuesday noong edad 21. Wala siyang trabaho, “no support system and no future plans.”
Pero sabi niya, “But I did not give up. I did odd jobs to make ends meet, sometimes not eating just so I can buy what my son needs.”
Sinuportahan din siya ng kaniyang pamilya noong bumaba ang kaniyang timbang sa 86 pounds.
“I do not normally ask for help, I didn't want to be a burden to anyone. That is part of having ASD and ADHD as I learned years later,” patuloy niya.
Sinabi pa ni Tuesday na marami siyang mga bigong relasyon, “and I am paying the price for all the wrong decisions I made.”
Natutunan din umano niya na, “I am the love of my life. I am the only one capable of loving myself the way I need to be loved.”
Sinabi ni Tuesday na sumailalim siya therapy mula noong 2018, at higit pa sa panahon ng pandemya nang lumala ang kaniyang kondisyon.
“Now I suffer from generalized anxiety, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and panic attack disorder which I am currently working on,” ayon kay Tuesday.
Pagbabahagi pa ng aktres, “I tried to unalive myself twice" ngunit sa kabila nito, nanatili siya bilang “a fighter.”
“I am a fighter, a mother who is trying to become a person of value at the same time raising a son who I pray becomes the same—someone who doesn’t give up easily or uses whatever ‘condition’ or its effects as a crutch to just sit idly by and let life waste away,” pahayag niya.
Nanawagan siya sa mga nakararanas ng pagsubok sa mental health na humingi ng tulong. Nagbigay din siya ng free hotline number, at ipinaalam sa kaniyang followers na nag-aalok ang Philippine General Hospital ng libreng psychiatric consultation at counseling services na ginagawa sa pamamagitan ng personal checkups.
Tinapos ni Tuesday ang kaniyang post sa isang panawagan na umaksiyon: “As a reminder to anyone reading this, before you judge too harshly, CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS. Especially those that smile and laugh a lot, those who are really good in social situations, those that do not ask for help. Your phone call might just save a life.”
Narito ang ilan sa mga mental health hotlines and services sa bansa: DOH-NCMH Hotline: 0917-899-8727 or 02-7989-8727; Natasha Goulbourn Foundation Hopeline: 0917-558-4673, 0918-873-4673 and 02-8804-4673; at In Touch Crisis Line: 0917-800-1123, 0922-893-8944 at 02-8893-7603.—Jamil Santos/FRJ GMA Integrated News
