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Kalinga Mental Health Logo
KALINGA MENTAL HEALTH MOBILE APP
I. Clear problem statement
Mental Health Crisis in the Philippines
How bad is the state of mental health care in the Philippines?
The problem of mental health care in the Philippines is so bad that some don't see it anymore as a problem but a way of life. Filipinos, especially Mindanaoans, are known for their resilience for they are forced to be mentally tough due to lack of mental health assistance. In Mindanao where martial law was imposed due to high risk of terror attacks and the addition of the on-going pandemic, there’s a rapid change in their lifestyle and many lost their jobs and who are locked up in their homes for more than a month. Because of this, the need for mental health assistance is expected to be greater than ever before.
According to a 2006 World Health Organization & Department of Health report, only 5% of the total budget for health was allocated for mental health. There is 1 doctor for every 80 000 Filipinos and there are 2-3 mental health workers for every 100 000 population as per WHO.
Before the pandemic, these are the existing facts related to mental health in the Philippines and Mindanao: 7 Filipinos a day are taking their own lives; 14% of a population of 1.4 million with disabilities were identified to have mental health disorder; According to NSO mental illness is the third most prevalent form of morbidity; about 88 cases of for every 100 000 cases were reported according to DOH which was still considered to be an underestimate; In Mindanao, 60 out of 100 who seek medical advice at The Southern Philippines Medical Center’s Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science are suffering from depression according to Sun Star Philippines report.
A recent study based on forms of anxiety experienced by Filipinos during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the 538 research participants experienced moderate anxiety surrounding 1)symptoms of health anxiety, 2) attitudes towards how awful it would be to develop COVID-19, 3) avoidance and 4) reassurance. Furthermore, the study also shows that themes about fear, social distancing, health consciousness, and information dissemination are predominant on how Filipinos felt, thought, and behaved during the pandemic. (source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/hope-resilience/202004/filipino-responses-covid-19 )
II. Identify challenge areas
- Lack of mental health professionals
- Lack of facilities for mental health patients due to the low budget allotted to the sector
- Low awareness of different forms of mental health issues within Filipino society.
- Social stigma revolving mental health
- The high cost of consulting a Psychologist or Psychiatrist
- Accessibility to proper mental health support
III. Inspiration
The general idea derived from the aims of a mental health page that promotes awareness and serves as a volunteer to render psychological first aid to people who ask for help with regards to behavioral, social, and emotional problems. We were also inspired by the Filipino value of ‘Bayanihan’ which encapsulates the Mindanaoan spirit of ‘pagtinabanga’, especially during traumatic events. The idea was also timely given that there is a global demand for information dissemination regarding the value of mental health awareness which includes Mindanaoans.
IV. Target users/audience
- Volunteers with (or without) background in Psychology and health services who want to be trained, Psychological first aid responders.
- (Primarily focusing on) People of Mindanao who are seeking for Psychological first aid and everyday awareness of mental health. This inclusive initiative aims to expand its scope to the whole of the country.
- Mental health professionals (Psychologists, Psychiatrist, and Guidance Counselors) and clinics who want to increase their profitability
V. What are the proposed solutions?
The proposed solution comes in stages that will ensure the sustainability of the proposed program for the years to come.
Stage 1: Facebook Page-based Mental Health Advocacy (Existing)
- Kalinga Mental Health Peers - a Facebook page that promotes mental health awareness and gives psychological first aid
Stage 2: Mobile Chat and Scheduling App (Proposed)
- A mobile/web-based application that would immediately connect and give you a list of responders based on your availability and preference. The proposed application will address the problem of having limited mental health professionals. This will also raise awareness about mental health and the profession by introducing people to professionals like guidance counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists.
Stage 3: PFA Training Modules for Volunteers (Proposed)
- A remote training program for responders who are willing to be trained in psychological first aid through a Facebook Page that promotes volunteerism and mental health awareness. This will ensure that the volunteers are well equipped in giving basic psychological first aid and referral to professionals while staying safe and secured inside their homes.
Stage 4: Adding the Mapping/Reservation feature (expanded throughout the whole country) for Clinics and Professionals (Proposed future development)
- An application feature that allows the user to see a map of clinics and professionals around the user’s location. It will also enable the user to make appointments for a consultation.
VI. Why is it relevant?
- Due to recent events like the COVID-19, Marawi siege, and other pre-existing problems that caused insurmountable distress among Mindanaoans, the demand for mental health support is expected to be greater than ever.
- Mindanaoans have gone through many devastating social (arm conflicts, poverty) and environmental (typhoons like Sendong) disasters which still affects many Mindanaoans and through providing accessible mental health support we can develop a more resilient Mindanao ready for personal and social growth.
VII. How did we build it?
- In the design thinking process, we first considered the current state of mental health care in the country. We then came up with ideal scenarios where those problems are non-existent, from there we generated ideas on how it could be addressed. We have collaborated with a Program Developer with regards to technical aspects of the proposed application We also created a promotional video encouraging Filipinos to be a volunteer psychological first aid responder. We are planning to create psychological first aid training modules specific to the proposed project Lastly, we are planning plans to engage and incorporate other forms of mental health support like mentoring, yoga, mindfulness-based practice, and other services that would make consulting to mental health professionals more convenient.
- For the application, a volunteer mental health advocate is in-charge of the development of Cloud-based applications using PHP.
VIII. Accomplishments we’re proud of
- We are proud to create a proposal in such a short amount of time given the conflicting schedules due to the time difference and nature of work that we have. We were able to incorporate our knowledge, experiences, and passion in our proposal to improve the state of mental health care not only for Mindanao but for the whole country.
IX. Challenges we encountered
- Participants. Collaborating with more participants regardless of background who want to engage in providing mental health support and innovation would have been more helpful.
- Location. Collaborating from different time zones (Philippines & UK) meant that we have to adjust to having online meetings and brainstorming.
X. What did we learn?
- That we can be able to create change by simply following your passion.
- That there are a lot of people who are willing to help if given the chance and the proper platform to do so.
- That it’s not a question of how difficult the problem is, but more of how much of your convenience are you willing to sacrifice to make the needed solution.
XI. What technology did we use to build it?
- The programmer will utilize php on Google Cloud for developing the application
- The promotional video presentation was made using Powtoons
XII. Try it out (URL, if ready)
Built With
- i-cloud
- php
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