Broad Minded People: Mental Illness in the Philippines
Broad Minded People: Mental Illness in the Philippines By: Maricela Estrada I was having an intellectual conversation with a credit card customer services representative located in the Philippines. I asked her how mental illness was perceived in the Philippines, particularly psychosis. I asked her if there was stigma associated with mental illness. She said, “ooohh they are considered broad minded people, highly creative, artistic, and authors. They are respected.” I let her know that I think mental illness is a gift of challenge. It challenges my life but nevertheless it has made me a better person. I told her that in the past I used to see things that other people couldn’t see, hallucinations and delusions in which I thought I was the chosen one or a prophet. I told her that my supervisor told me that he thinks mental illness/ psychosis is a sixth sense. She said, “Oh really? Like the movie. That sounds so scary. I thought those were only things you can see in movies. I