The mental heath system of selected municipalities in Benguet province: exploratory study

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the mental health system of selected municipalities in the province of Benguet. The following specific problems were answered: 1. What are the mental health policies and legislations crafted in the selected municipalities of Benguet and how are these implemented? 2. What are the strategies implemented by the selected municipalities of Benguet in delivering mental health services to the community in terms of promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation? 3. What are the experiences of mental health service users in the selected municipalities of Benguet in obtaining essential mental health services? Participating municipalities were purposely selected. The first five municipalities with the highest number of mental health cases in 2022 were selected. This were the municipalities of Buguias, Tuba, La Trinidad, Kapangan, and Kabayan. However, upon coordination with the municipality of Tuba, it expressed its intention not to be involved in the research. Hence, only four municipalities were involved. Each municipality was represented by the mental health coordinator, nurses, pharmacists, and municipal health officers. Thirty mental health service users were also selected equally divided among the five municipalities. However, due to the nonavailability of service users in some municiplaities ( La Trinidada, Buguias, and Kabayan), caregivers were added as part of the study. An assessment was conducted through document review and document verification using the developed questionnaire adapted from WHO-AIMS version 2.2. This was conducted individually through field visits at the RHUs. Mental health coordinators, pharmacists, nurses, and municipal health officers composed the team in the five municipalities with the highest mental health cases in the last calendar year. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted among mental health service users and caregivers. Data gathered were tabulated, analyzed, and interpreted.