The PMHA History

The Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) was formally organized on January 15, 1950, by a group of concerned professionals at the time when our nation was in the process of recovering from the devastation of  Word War II. On December 12, 1956, the Association became a member of the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) during the 4th annual meeting of the Federation in Mexico City.

The Association 's initial thrust was on clinical services provided by its Mental Health Guidance Clinic. Today, it has become the Clinical and Diagnostic Services (CDS) providing out-patient psychiatric services to individuals suffering from mental and emotional disorders. It is currently identified as the Secondary program of the Association.

Recognizing the need to expand its programs and to focus its efforts on prevention education information on mental health, the Association organized its Education Information Services (EIS). This has become the Association's Primary Program. As part of its advocacy program, the Association continues to lead in the celebration of the National Mental Health Week and the World Mental Health Day which are held every 2nd week of October and 10 October, respectively.

On May 19, 1965, the Rehabilitation Services (RS) was created. This has become the Association's Tertiary Program. Services of its Work Center are directed towards the rehabilitation of recovering patients with mental disabilities.

Besides these services, PMHA maintains a specialized library which features various collections of books, journals and the like on mental health. It is open to PMHA members and researchers.

The first provincial chapter was organized in 1958 in the city of Cebu. Today, PMHA has nine Chapters nationwide: Bacolod City; Baguio, Benguet; Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija; Cagayan de Oro City; Cebu City; Dagupan, Pangasinan; Davao City; Dumaguete City and Lipa, Batangas. These Chapters are autonomous in operation and are headed by their respective Board of Management and Chapter Executive Managers.

The EDSA Revolution in February 1986 gave back democracy to our people, but the transition in the government was marked by political and economic instability. The Association was greatly affected by these changes in terms of financial sustainability. Donations from private and government sectors came in trickles because of the prevailing business climate. In 1990, the Board of Trustees decided to construct a commercial building along East Avenue, Quezon City, and subsequently lease part of its property on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme. Income from lease rentals has partly helped sustain the programs and services of the Association and its Chapters.

Today, PMHA remains as a formidable leader in the field of mental health. It continues to strengthen its partnership with both government and non-government organizations, the business sector, as well as international organization such as the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR) to achieve its goal of promoting sound mental health for the Filipino people.

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Member: World Federation for Mental Health

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Last modified: 03/11/05 05:36