Mental Health From The Other Side

We caught the rainy-afternoon matinee of Bawat Bonggang Bagay on the penultimate day of its September run. The sold-out one-act play was the Filipino adaptation of Duncan Macmillan and Johnny Donahue’s Every Brilliant Thing. We made sure to book early as we couldn’t miss seeing the brilliant Jon Santos (IG: jon_to_the_world) take the stage.

The show and its different adaptations have been often featured. Jon Santos masterfully played the lead and picked audience members to play other roles impromptu. (Full disclosure: I was picked to play the role of his father on this particular show). The story involves an unnamed child whose mother had a mental health illness. The child learned to make a list of things that made him happy in the hope that the mother would find these worth living for.

The play focused on the serious concern of mental health yet on a tasteful comedic approach that only Jon Santos could deliver. Much has been said about mental health illnesses and disorders on different platforms. This show, however, takes on a different approach.   

The story revolves around mental health from the other side. Unlike those that feature sufferers of mental health illnesses, this features the life of a child growing and living with a mother suffering severe depression. It tells us how it is, how it affects, and how the child can adapt to the difficulties.

The other side includes every child, parent, partner, or caregiver of a person suffering mental health issues. Not a few have developed issues themselves. I believe they deserve the same attention and care to mitigate the possible negative effects.

What can we do for them? The unnamed child gives us the answer. It’s not so much as reassuring them through words of affection. “I love you” can sometimes be diminished and its overuse can turn it into an insincere conversation ender.

What the unnamed child really wants to hear from us is “I am here”. All it takes is an assurance that we are an open line to listen to them. It’s not even the advice that we can offer them but rather the opportunity to not just be heard but to listen to them (NB: spot the difference).

Without minimizing the effects of mental health issues on the sufferers, I hope that the people on the other side are also given more attention. Bawat Bonggang Bagay was a great jump off point. I only wish that they do another run so that others can catch this masterpiece.

I am opening this space for all those on the other side of mental health issues. I am here and willing to listen. If this resonates with you, please shout out by posting your comments or sending an email to writeandkeep@gmail.com. 

Hope you all have a healthy day!