The mental health act of 2018 policy assessment and its implementation to higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Main Author: Reario, Dominique R
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Mental health laws; Education, Higher—Philippines; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Higher Education; Mental and Social Health
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_polsci/10; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_polsci/article/1009/viewcontent/2024_Reario_The_Mental_Health_Act_of_2018_Policy_Assessment_and_its_Implement.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Mental Health has recently become an urgent public health concern. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more discussions on this field surfaced. The situation resulted in job losses, social isolation, and economic instability. It has affected the overall welfare of individuals. In 2018, the Philippines signed its Mental Health Act of 2018 into law. All sectors celebrated its passage as it strengthened and fully recognized the mental health rights of each Filipino. It aims to establish inclusive programs and improve the mechanisms that its stakeholders already have in place. One of its highlights is the education and promotion of mental health in educational institutions. This is highly significant in ensuring that academic institutions can raise awareness and provide a support system to their students. However, less than two years later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit which forced priorities to change. This forced educational institutions to shift to online learning and put face-to-face classes and school activities on hold. Mental health also became a significant concern not just for the students but for all individuals. Different agencies and organizations continue to coordinate and collaborate to provide solutions to address these concerns. With these in mind, the study then looks at how the Mental Health Act of 2018 is being implemented in selected State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), namely Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and Philippine Normal University (PNU). Its main objective is to determine how the mainstreaming and implementation can be improved in the HEIs with the experience during the pandemic. It employs inter-organizational theory and the USAID Policy Health Initiative's Implementation Assessment Tool to explain and analyze the case. Overall, this paper presents that several studies and scholarships have already been done in the field of Mental Health. SUCs have long been implementing related projects even before its passage. However, the law strengthened and recognized the need for more programs and support in this field. The pandemic also tested them, but they were able to produce and adjust programs that supported students during this challenging time. It appears, though, that there is a need for government agencies to improve their coordination with each other to avoid working in silos. They need to be able to streamline the policy better to have a uniform understanding in reaching their respective targets. Best practices, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations are also presented in this study. As a result, it can be deduced that five years since its passage, the Mental Health Act has gradually picked up its pace as the Philippines also enters its new normal brought by the pandemic. The SUCs also cope with the transition to face-to-face classes, hoping to improve their students' mental health status. Lastly, this paper aims to contribute to further developing the Mental Health Act in both government and non-government settings. It aims to seek more discussions, raise awareness, and break the stigma, especially in educational institutions.