Herlene Budol gets real about stigma on mental health after traumatic experience in Uganda

Herlene Budol just got real about the stigma surrounding mental health after her harrowing experience in Uganda for the Miss Planet International.

In an episode of "Updated With Nelson Canlas," Herlene said she kept quiet about what happened to her at first because she was afraid of how the public would react to it.

Herlene recently revealed that police armed with guns chased her before she left Uganda, making her fear for her life.

"Baka walang maniwala sa akin. Baka kasi OA lang nga po talaga 'yung feeling ko, baka po kasi ano, kasi parang imposible pong mangyari 'yun sa totoong buhay," she said about her decision to stay silent.

"May vlog nga ho ako, hindi ko malabas-labas kasi ayoko talagang ipakita, ayoko talagang may makarinig sa akin na bakit sinasabi mo 'yan, bakit nag-iimbento ka. Ayoko ho talaga na ano, napapraning na ako na naman."

Herlene said she thought of her struggles as a challenge that she has to overcome, but she eventually decided to share it publicly after it became too much for her to bear alone.

Growing concerned, Nelson suggested that she might want to consult a psychologist so she can debrief and process everything that happened to her.

Herlene then gave a frank admission of what she thought of mental health struggles as someone who grew up poor.

"Siguro kinalakihan ko ho na baka pag 'yung trauma-trauma na ganito na na-experience ko po baka kung sa aming mahihirap lang, itutulog lang namin," she said.

"Parang mina-mindset ko, parang nagpapaganyan ka kasi baliw ka, ganun. May ganun po e."

Nelson was quick to reassure Herlene and his listeners that it's OK to seek professional help after going through difficult times.

Aside from the incident with the police in Uganda, Herlene said she had been under so much pressure since way back her preparation for Binibining Pilipinas.

She was so stressed to the point that she had alopecia, problems with her bowel moment, and difficulty falling asleep without the aid of melatonin.

Now, however, she is opening up on her experiences so she can finally let go.

"Gusto kong i-share para baka matapos na. Ganun. Kasi ang bigat po sa akin e. Sobrang mabigat po."

—MGP, GMA Integrated News