Last Saturday, November 30, we witnessed a compelling story of how we all must take mental health awareness seriously, which has now become one of the most relevant issues in the society. Titled “Colored Pens” and aired with the hashtag #MMKAlwaysKeepGoing, the episode featured the inspiring story of Ymari Pascua, a woman who has been battling against her Manic-Depressive Bipolar Disorder for many years. She was portrayed by Julia Barretto, whose performance was commended by the netizens in social media.
REVIEW: MMK Colored Pens is Julia Barretto’s shining moment in drama
In this video, Ymari personally voiced out how hard it has been for her to live with mental illness and how she has managed to stay strong despite the grueling battle that she has to deal within herself in each passing day.
“Napakagulo po. Minsan masyado akong hyper, minsan naman masyado akong malungkot. Hindi ko alam kung kailan aatake. Hindi ko din po alam kung kailan magiging okay.” This is how Ymari described her situation as someone who is suffering from Manic-Depressive Bipolar Disorder. Unsure when her illness will attack, she only explained how those attacks can last for one or two weeks or sometimes, a month.
Ymari shares that she is aware of the things that typically triggers her mental illness. “Nalulungkot po ako kapag naaalala ko ‘yong pagkamatay ng kapatid ko, ‘yong pag-attempt din ng isa kong kapatid, at nati-trigger din po ako ‘pag may isang bagay na hindi maayos, may hindi pantay na bagay,” she says.
Having a support group is pivotal for people like Ymari. Aside from that, she shared how being involved in volunteering work helped her so much. Growing up from her adoptive mother Nanay Alps, Ymari was influenced to have a deep faith as a Christian and to show much compassion towards other people through charitable activities.