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

The Philippine Psychiatric Association estimates there are fewer than 600 licensed psychiatrists in the country — that’s roughly one for every 200,000 Filipinos. Most are clustered in urban centers, leaving rural areas to rely on overburdened general practitioners or none at all.

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Meanwhile, mental health apps, teletherapy services, and “life coaches” have mushroomed, but access remains uneven. For every well-meaning digital startup, there’s a dozen self-help influencers offering “positive vibes” for clicks — a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

We don’t lack motivation to get better. We lack infrastructure — and fair wages — to make that possible.

FROM SELF-CARE TO SYSTEM CARE

The wellness industry has made billions selling self-care as a lifestyle choice. But you can’t journal your way out of inflation, or meditate your way through unpaid overtime.

Self-care rhetoric often shifts responsibility from systems to individuals — implying that if you’re burned out, you simply haven’t done enough yoga. It’s the same narrative that tells workers to “manage stress” instead of questioning the structures that create it.