Stigma undone

• Main Authors: Jakosalem, Gianna C., Gonzales, Maria Bettina Y.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Podcasts; Sound—Recording and reproducing—Digital techniques; Voice actors and actresses; Film and Media Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_comm/26; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=etdb_comm
• Institution: De La Salle University

This project is a Podcast x RadioSerye series consisting of the first two (2) episodes of the 4-episode pilot season running for more or less thirty (30) minutes each. The proponents, with the suggestion of their mentor, decided to actualize only the first two (2) episodes of the pilot season due to budget and time constraints. The podcast element is that the project is a digital audio series featuring hosts discussing a topic, while the RadioSerye portion is the dramatization portion consisting of voice actors acting out each scene. The project aims to educate and engage its listeners on the importance of mental health, particularly, how stigma, which is defined as “a feeling of being negatively differentiated owing to a particular condition, group membership, or state in life” by Arboleda-Flórez & Stuart, affects individuals of various generations with mental health disorders in the Philippines. The proponents interviewed two (2) willing participants, one from Millennial Generation who is diagnosed with Major Depressive disorder and Post Traumatic Stress disorder, and the other from Generation X who is diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, to talk about their lives and eye-opening encounters with stigma and their mental health disorders. Episode one (1) is focused on the accounts from the Millennial interviewee, with the alias ‘Kaidi’, about her road to recovery in her mental health journey. She expressed how she adapted the stigmatized perceptions of the people around her even at a young age, specifically her peers and her own family. This pessimistic view on mental illness made her hesitant and scared to seek professional help which negatively affected her life. For episode two (2), the Generation X interviewee, hidden under the alias ‘Victoria’, shared her story of how her mindset about mental illnesses changed throughout the course of her understanding herself and her mental state more. Besides sharing her psychological distresses, she also shares her struggles with her past trauma, her abusive ex boyfriend, as well as being a mother to her daughter. The content of the podcast will comprise of the experiences of the participants prior to diagnosis, them coming to terms with their diagnoses, and the processes and obstacles they faced after accepting their diagnoses. The context of these key points in their lives would also include the discussion on their experiences and how they adapted socially, personally and professionally. The project was conceptualized by the thorough research of the proponents, as well as their use of the information they have acquired through the interviews. The stories showcased in each episode are true stories from real people that have given their consent to be a part of the project, and the proponents created a Podcast x RadioSerye to present each in a way that would capture the attention of the listeners while still educating them.