30 April 2014 – The Philippine Embassy in Abuja organized a talk entitled “Men, Women, and Mental Health” which aimed at raising awareness about mental health as it relates to gender issues on March 30 at the Embassy’s Consular Building.

The talk, given by Dr. Cynthia Ticao, in cooperation with the Gede Foundation, stressed that while mental illnesses and diseases affect both men and women equally, different patterns are observed for some disorders, such as depression (more common among women than men), post-traumatic stress after a sexual assault (more common among women), and alcohol and substance abuse (more common among men than women).

Dr. Ticao presented World Health Organization’s (WHO) solutions to gender-mental health problems.

Embassy staff and Filipinos in Abuja attended the talk. Chargé d’Affaires Ralf G. Roldan thanked Dr. Ticao and the members of the foundation for their support to the Embassy’s program and to the mental well-being of its personnel.

Dr. Ticao responded their organization is willing to extend mental health awareness seminars to the members of the Filipino community in Abuja, to which the Filipinos, including Embassy personnel, welcomed the idea. END