Kylie Verzosa’s mental health group aims to be place of support, information

Three years ago, the woman who would become Miss International 2016 was diagnosed with clinical depression.

Her diagnosis is no secret: Kylie Verzosa's fight for mental health awareness has been her advocacy since she began joining beauty pageants.

"I was discouraged to talk about it because it was sad or not a happy advocacy," Verzosa said in a press briefing on Wednesday, a day after the passage of Senate Bill 1354 or the Philippine Mental Health Law.

"I got comments saying I shouldn't talk about it because it wasn't a popular [one]; that I should focus on women and children instead," she added. "But I still decided to talk about it because it was something I felt very strongly about. I went through so much pain and I am a proud survivor."

Verzosa's choice of advocacy not only stems from her experiences but also those of her father, Ari, and her sister, Chelsea, both of whom are living with bipolar disorder.

Providing others with the same support they received during their most difficult years is the exact reason why she and her family have created a safe space where others may also find the right help they need.

"I was very fortunate enough that I had the right support group and support system and just enough means to get through my own depression, but it wasn't easy," Verzosa said.

She said that at first she did not know what it was she was going through, and that not everybody understood it.

"After finding the right help and getting the right treatment... I was able to treat myself naturally without medication," she said.

The right help

Crucial to her finding the right help and treatment was her involvement in a support group where she was able to share her concerns with no fear of judgment or dismissal.

This need for a non-judgemental space led to the creation of Mental Health Matters, a support group that also provides information on depression and other mental health matters.

"Sometimes, you need people who are alike with you, and sometimes around your group of friends, minsan nahihiya ka, or wala kang pupuntahan, or your parents don't understand," Verzosa said at the World Health Organization in April.

"This group, hopefully, connects you with other people who are going through the same thing and hopefully, to vent out your problems."

Verzosa, who is organizing a mental health support group w/ her father & sister, hopes the bill will pass to finally est.a MH program in PHL pic.twitter.com/4gmY6ddb0U

— Rie Takumi (@rie_takumi) May 3, 2017

The group's page is not yet fully functional as, Ari Verzosa explained, they are still working out the logistics of the page to block out trolls, create trigger warnings, and to allow users the option to use an alias or their real accounts.

As members are not allowed to diagnose one another, volunteer psychologists and psychiatrists are coordinating with the group to give medical advise to members and for undiagnosed persons to have their disorders recognized.

"From my personal experience as a member of other support groups both local and international these type of forums are the only place that they can open up freely as no one else, neither family nor friends understand them and very often dismiss their disorder," Mr. Verzosa said in an email to GMA News Online.

"In the group they realize that they are not alone and don't have to fight their battles by themselves."

Mental Health Act

The passage of Senate Bill 1354 not only gives the Verzosas hope that the Philippines will finally create a national mental health policy, but also brings Mental Health Matters closer to its ultimate goal.

"The goal of Kylie is to establish a foundation and/or satellite stations in major cities or provinces that will provide affordable or hopefully even free consultation, diagnosis and medication," Mr. Verzosa explained.

He added, "The registration and screening process will be through the support group to make sure that those who avail of the affordable or free services are deserving."

A couple of organizations have already approached Mental Health Matters for possible collaborations for the services that SB1354 aims to implement on a national level.

Should the House of Representatives pass its own version, the 28-year-old bill can be signed into law. It will mandate all regional, provincial and tertiary hospitals to provide affordable and accessible psychiatric, psychosocial and neurologic services.

READ: Advocates urge House to pass mental health bill after Senate approves SB 1354

The first version of the mental health bill was filed by the late Senator Orly Mercado in 1989.

The proposal was co-authored by Senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes, Bam Aquino, Sonny Angara, and Joel Villanueva. — BM, GMA News