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Joshua L.

Sengco

YL-III

Reflection Paper: Mga Anino ng Kahapon

The film depicts a story of a woman suffering from Schizophrenia. Living in the Philippines,
people are not fully versed as how mental conditions affect the mind and behavior of a person who
has such illness. As presented in the movie, when the symptoms of Schizophrenia became manifest
through hallucinations, presented by her bizarre beliefs and strange behavior, her family members,
because of being ignorant and unaware, thought that Irene was crazy, not knowing that what she
needed was medical intervention and support from her family. In my perspective watching he movie,
Mga Anino ng Kahapon, my take is that, this movie presents that as medical doctors, we should raise
awareness not only with physiological diseases of the body, but also with psychiatric illnesses as well,
as it is as equally important to sustain a healthy mental, and psychologic well being of patients.

In the movie, Irenes husband, Ed, decided to work abroad to support his family. Irene was
then left to take care of their only son, living with her mother-in-law and brother-in-law. And thats
when it started. Soon, Irene becomes paranoid with all the bad news going around her. She eventually
felt unsecured to the point that it has affected her family. Irene finally came to the point when she
experiences vivid imaginations of soldiers and spies entering their home. She would even welcome
people who were supposedly her mothers colleagues during the Martial Law days whod seek refuge
into their homes in an attempt to escape the authorities. Her condition worsened and became a case
of schizophrenia. From her hallucinations, viewers can tell that her past is connected to activists,
soldiers, Martial Law and the crime that goes with it. After a supposedly short vacation, Ed decides to
stay in the country for good to take care of Irene who is at the early stage of mental disorder.

According to PCHRD, here in the Philippines, a disability survey made by the National Statistics
Office (NSO) revealed that mental illness (includes schizophrenia) is the third most common form of
disability with a prevalence rate of 88 cases per 100,000 population. Unfortunately, half of all patients
with schizo are unaware they have the disease and are not being treated. As in the same case with
Irene where she refuses to take her medication, it is important for us doctors to intervene in raising
awareness about these psychiatric illness to be able to properly give the appropriate treatment and
educate their family members as well about it.

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