Mental health is complex, and there is no simple, sure-fire way to solve the struggles revolving around mental health. What one can do to ensure that one can live life with a healthy mindset and the ability to manage one’s fears and issues within oneself is to explore more about what they are experiencing and to commit to learning from those fears and growing one’s inner self.
Dr. Jorge Mario T. Oñate Jr., a psychiatrist and the founder of Kalinaw Mind Center, understands the value of knowing the mental self considering the ever-changing world. When asked about the simple mental health practices people can do, the doctor says, “The things that I think would help a lot of people these days is actually giving time to themselves to actually think, […] giving yourself self-care, having time just to stop and meditate, and think things through.”
He opines how social media and technology, coupled with the fast pace of our society, have led to the deterioration of peoples’ relationships with each other and their inner peace. “The most important thing is to actually have a support system, and it used to be so easy back in the day for Filipinos that it was a family unit. Right now, you see people sitting in Jollibee, they’re all staring at their phones — not just the kids, but also the mother and the father, so the support systems [are] kinda off now compared to 20 years ago, when you can actually talk and sit down with your mom and/or your father, and you have a conversation and get guidance. The difference now is that they’re busy, you’re busy, ‘cause everything’s fast-paced, you can’t talk to anyone.”
The Kalinaw Mind Center is a space that values every person’s innate need to be heard. Kalinaw is not only for those who suffer from mental illness but also for, as Oñate would include, “people who need to vent and talk about” the inner challenges they are facing. They offer psychiatric services and counseling, as well as psychotherapy to their clients.
Dr. Oñate has also partnered with technology experts to develop a web-based mental health AI app meant to create a more accessible mental health treatment space in the Philippines, where there are only around 500 psychiatrists who serve the more than 110 million people living in the Philippines. Users can ask the app questions about their mental health and be given initial mental health advice. The doctor mentions how this is especially helpful for those who may be afraid to seek medical advice about their mental health due to the social stigma that comes with therapy and mental health.
“The benefits of seeking therapy [are] basically: therapy helps you talk things out so that you don’t feel so alone anymore because a lot of what’s going on in the world, with technology and everything, a lot of people start feeling alone, feeling depressed and anxious, and sometimes, therapy just helps you think things through to actually feel better.
If you’d like, you can visit Dr. Jorge Oñate, Jr. at Kalinaw Mind Center located at Room 211, M. Diaz Bldg, 201 Jose Avila St, Capitol Site, Cebu City. You may also inquire or set your appointments through Facebook and Instagram.
