Tuesday Vargas opens up about her mental health journey

Tuesday Vargas opened up about her mental health journey in a Facebook post titled, “10 things most people do not know about me.”

The actress, singer, and comedienne started with the story of her childhood, and how she learned independence and entrepreneurship, among others.

According to Tuesday, she was diagnosed with high-functioning autism and ADHD at age 12. “Suddenly my young life made sense. All that ‘ang kulit ng batang yan!’ was clear to me,” she said.

Tuesday added that she did not take medication for it, but had cognitive behavioral therapy, a common type of talk therapy that "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," explained the Mayo Clinic.

In her post, the comedienne revealed the testing period before entering Manila Science High School showed she had "an 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," she continued, adding her report cards often described her as "Matalino pero makulit."

Tuesday also said she suffered different kinds of abuse growing up, but did not go into detail.

Tuesday became a single mom at 21. She did not have a job, “no support system and no future plans.”

She added, “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.”

Her family supported her when her weight dropped to 86 pounds.

She said, “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.”

Tuesday said she was also in several failed romantic relationships, “and I am paying the price for all the wrong decisions I made.”

She said she learned, “I am the love of my life. I am the only one capable of loving myself the way I need to be loved.”

Tuesday shared she has been in therapy since 2018, more so during the pandemic when her condition worsened.

“Now I suffer from generalized anxiety, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and panic attack disorder which I am currently working on.”

Tuesday revealed, “I tried to unalive myself twice" but despite everything, she remains “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,” she said.

She called on those struggling with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts to seek help. She also provided a free hotline number, and informed her followers that the Philippine General Hospital offers free psychiatric consultation and counseling services done through personal checkups.

Tuesday ended her post with a call to action.

“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.”

The Philippines has several mental health hotlines and services. These include: DOH-NCMH Hotline: 0917-899-8727 or 02-7989-8727; Natasha Goulbourn Foundation Hopeline: 0917-558-4673, 0918-873-4673 and 02-8804-4673; and In Touch Crisis Line: 0917-800-1123, 0922-893-8944 and 02-8893-7603.

Read Tuesday's post here.

— Nika Roque/LA, GMA Integrated News