Depression and anxiety can have a negative impact on a student's energy

level, concentration, reliability, mental ability, and optimism, resulting in poor

performance. Depression is connected with poorer grade point averages, and co-
occurring depression and anxiety can exacerbate this association and depression is
additionally connected to dropping out of education.  Numerous students indicate
that their studies are affected by mental health issues. A clinically significant
weakness in a person's intellect, emotional control, or behavior is what is known as a
mental disorder. It is typically linked to distress or functional impairment in key areas.
Mental diseases come in many different forms. According to Maravilla and Tan
(2021), the notion of good mental health may differ among cultures, values, and
traditions, who defined it as "a state of well-being that allows individuals to cope with
the normal stresses of life and function productively." Emotional, cognitive, or
behavioral changes—or a combination of these—are symptoms of mental diseases.
Distress and/or difficulties functioning in social, occupational, or familial contexts can
be symptoms of mental diseases. Adolescence is a time of physical and behavioral
changes that may have an impact on mental health. Since no study has examined
the prevalence of sadness and anxiety among adolescents in our area, we decided
to measure it and then work to make our neighborhood a better place (Alharbi et al.,
2019). 

The Official Publication of the Indian Psychiatric Society (2022) has in

documentation that the medical students from India showed that 8% of the students
consulted mental health professionals (MHPs) before joining the medical courses,
and 2% were diagnosed with a mental disorder, such as mood disorder, anxiety
disorder, adjustment disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder.  Around a quarter of student-athletes said they were
exhausted by the mental demands of their activity and 10-21% of the total of student-
athletes expressed depression symptoms but they are unsure how to deal with them
(Watson & Walker, 2023). The American College Health Association has in
documentation that the college students’ mental health has been a rising concern
with a significant number of students experiencing psychological distress.  According
to Safier (2023), four out of every five college students are experiencing financial
difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Concerns about their health, the
health of family members, and financial issues are common, particularly among
people who support themselves by working in businesses that have been badly
damaged by protracted closures, such as retail or the service industry (Inside Higher
Ed, 2020). Whitton and Whisman (2010) state that untreated mental illness can lead
to distress in students and, as a result, have a negative impact on their quality of life
and academic performance, including, but not limited to, lower academic integrity,
alcohol and drug abuse as well as a reduced capacity for empathy, unstable
relationships, a lack of self-confidence, and suicidal thoughts. Among the most
important factors affecting the enjoyment and quality of life is mental health. In both
rich and developing nations, university undergraduate students experience poor
mental health as a complex and pervasive psychological issue (Pedrelli et al., 2015).
According to the American College Health Association 2015 survey, college students
reported the following mental health conditions as having a negative impact on their
academic performance in the previous year. According to Eisenberg, Gollust and
Hefner (2007), mental health issues can have a negative impact on many aspects of
students' lives, including their quality of life, academic accomplishment, physical
health, and satisfaction with their college experience, as well as their relationships
with friends and family members. These concerns can also have long-term
ramifications for students, compromising their future job, earning potentials, and
overall health. According to one study by Kessler, Foster, Saunder, and Stang, 5% of
students do not complete their education due to psychiatric diseases, and 4.29
million persons would have completed college if they had not been suffering such
disorders.

In the Philippines, mental illness ranks third in terms of prevalence of

disability. According to WHO (2017), estimates 6 million Filipinos suffer from
depression and/or anxiety, ranking the Philippines as the Western Pacific region's
third-highest mental health problem country. In fact, 12% of Filipino Americans
experience psychological discomfort, a greater percentage than the country's overall
prevalence of depression and anxiety. In particular, those who are subjected to
abuse, aggression, and prejudice while overseas may be more vulnerable to
acculturative stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, and trauma due to long
periods of isolation from their family and a distinct cultural background (Green &
Ayalon, 2016). According to a global school-based student study (2015), 10% to
15% of Filipino children aged 5 to 15 have mental health problems. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), 16.8% of Filipino adolescents aged 13 to 17
attempted suicides at least once in the preceding year, according to the 2015 Global
School-based Student Health study (Golberstein, Wen and Miller, 2020). Mental
health diseases are the third most common kind of morbidity among Filipinos,
according to the National Statistical Office (NSO) (Lally, Tully and Samaniego,
2019). According to the WHO-AIMS Report on the Mental Health System in the
Philippines, a prevalence of 16% of mental disorders among children was reported in
the assessment of the Filipino mental health system. Filipinos under the age of 18
account for roughly 40% of the overall Philippine population. Despite the fact that a
considerable percentage of the Philippine population has been designated as
vulnerable, concerns involving them continue to exist and go ignored. Anxiety and
depression continue to be among the most common mental health problems among
university and college students, according to current data. It was also discovered
that university students have greater rates of anxiety and depression than the
general population, with 10% to 43% of university students suffering from significant
anxiety and sadness (Alibudbud, 2021). As a result, six million Filipinos live with
sadness and anxiety, making mental illness the third most common handicap in the
country. As a result, the nation in the Western Pacific has the third-highest rate of
mental problems (Martinez et al., 2020). Additionally, 3.6 million Filipinos are
estimated to be affected by at least one type of mental, neurological, or substance
use illness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Special Initiative for
Mental Health conducted in 2020 (Department of Health, 2020). According to
Alibudbud (2021), there were 35% and 47.2% of college students who were at risk
for depressive and anxiety disorders, respectively. Having trouble managing studies
was linked to significant depressive symptoms and anxiety issues with an index of
determination ranging from 8.5% to 18.6%. Over time, college students' rates of
anxiety and depression have risen. In comparison to the general population, they are
also two to three times more likely to experience depression and anxiety issues. Up
to five times more students who struggle academically are at risk of developing
depression and anxiety. These rates can be lowered by up to 18.6% by
implementing mental health promotion in educational settings. As a result, the
educational system should incorporate mental health promotion.

Matalam and Hembra (2022) claim that the Davao Center for Development
(DCHD) Mental Health Program assisted in the establishment of Community-Based
Mental Health Programs (CBMHPs) and the implementation of the WHO Mental
Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) in a number of
municipalities in the area. The number of patients utilizing mental health services in
basic and tertiary care facilities increased every year between 2016 and 2019 in the
Davao Region, according to CBMHPs, by 10 to 13%. According to Cortez (2023), a
legislator in Davao City, Philippines, voiced concern for her fellow Davaoeos' mental
health due to the increased rate of suicide incidents. People get burnout, anxiety,
and depression as a result of the constant demands they face at job, school, and
home. Those who depend on social media interactions for self-validation were
similarly subject to this pressure. According to Neil (2018), Ms. Villafuerte stated in
his interview that "people now have no time to do that (relax) since everyone is going
too fast...feeling fatigued when they get home. We anticipate that as cities continue
to rapidly urbanize, more people may have mental health illnesses. We should be
ready for such potential issues even more, she warned.