Myths and Facts About Mental Health It’s a familiar joke among Filipinos. When they want to describe someone who’s “lost their mind,” they mimic Sisa, a tragic character in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere. The Pinoy jokesters walk in circles, imitating Sisa screaming the names of her sons, “Basilio! Crispin!” The comedians then collapse in laughter. They don’t understand that they are portraying an abused wife who, because of multiple traumas, was actually going through a mental breakdown in that scene in Rizal’s novel. There’s really nothing funny about it. The long journey towards Filipinos’ enlightenment about mental health begins with education. We can’t help anyone living with mental health conditions if we don’t understand what they’re going through. Anthony Abala, M.D., general and adult psychiatrist, lays down some misrepresentations about mental health. 54