THE ANXIETY ECONOMY: IS YOUR BOSS PAYING YOU ENOUGH T0 AFFORD THERAPY?

There’s a new industry booming in the Philippines — and no, it’s not tech, tourism, or teleseryes. It’s anxiety.

- pulse check DR. RAFAEL R. CASTILLO

The pandemic may have lifted, but the mental aftershocks are still rattling boardrooms, classrooms, and households alike. Everyone, from junior staff to seasoned executives, is quietly panicking. The economy has recovered on paper, but our collective sanity hasn’t quite caught up. Call it what it is: We are living in “The Anxiety Economy,” where worry is the currency, and burnout is the inflation that keeps eating away at our sense of control.

WORKPLACE STRESS: THE NEW NATIONAL PASTIME

Every weekday, millions of Filipinos log into their laptops with the same weary ritual — coffee, deadlines, and an inbox full of “gentle reminders.” What used to be called dedication is now just survival.

In Metro Manila, the average worker spends three hours a day commuting, eight to 10 hours at work, and whatever’s left doom-scrolling or worrying about bills. Sleep is optional; peace of mind, unaffordable. Yet in board meetings and HR memos, mental health is discussed with the same enthusiasm as next quarter’s KPIs (key performance indicators) — that is, only if it affects productivity.

The World Health Organization estimates that depression and anxiety cost the global economy over a trillion dollars a year in lost productivity. Locally, the numbers are harder to track — not because it’s rare, but because mental health remains something we whisper about in the pantry instead of address in policy.

THE ARITHMETIC OF ANXIETY

Let’s talk numbers — because anxiety has a price tag.

We tell people to ‘take care of their mental health’ — but when therapy costs half their salary, wellness becomes a luxury item.

A one-hour therapy session in Metro Manila can range from P2,000 to P5,000. Multiply that by four sessions a month, and you're spending roughly P8,000-P20,000 monthly. That's half the take-home pay of many mid-level employees.