Mental Health Access in Cebu Province: An Assessment Framework

Background: Mental Health Access remains fragmented across the Philippines decentralized local governance system despite the enactment of Republic Act 11036 (Mental Health Act). Still unequal access, workforce constraints, inconsistent community activities, stigma, and uneven local policy support continue to affect the delivery of mental health services in Cebu Province.

mental health access; community-based mental health; assessment framework; mental health services; Cebu Province

1. Abanilla, J. A., et al. (2025). Patient navigation interventions and health literacy in the Philippines. Health Promotion International. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae207 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Branjerdporn, G., Gillespie, K. M., Dymond, A., Reyes, N. J. D., Robertson, J., Almeida-Crasto, A., & Bethi, S. (2023). Development of an interprofessional psychosocial interventions framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(8), 5495. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085495 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Burkitt, S., Hopkins, L., & Olasoji, M. (2025). Building the community mental health nursing workforce through a supported transition programme: An evaluation of a competency framework implementation. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 34(1), e13474. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13474 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J., & Neville, A. J. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(5), 545–547. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. De Guzman-Enverzo, A. J. (2024). Mental health literacy, services and programs in universities: Towards developing a school mental health policy. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 20(4), 362–389. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11392148 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Department of Health. (2024). National objectives for health Philippines 2023–2028. Department of Health, Republic of the Philippines. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Fetters, M. D., Curry, L. A., & Creswell, J. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs: Principles and practices. Health Services Research, 48(6 Pt 2), 2134–2156 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Frenk, J., Chen, L., Bhutta, Z. A., et al. (2010). Health professionals for a new century: Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world. The Lancet, 376(9756), 1923–1958. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61854-5 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Jorm, A. F. (2012). Mental health literacy: Empowering the community to take action for better mental health. American Psychologist, 67(3), 231–243. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025957 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Kutcher, S., Wei, Y., & Coniglio, C. (2016). Mental health literacy: Past, present, and future. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(3), 154–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743715616609 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Malterud, K., Siersma, V. D., & Guassora, A. D. (2016). Sample size in qualitative interview studies: Guided by information power. Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1753–1760 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Taking action against clinician burnout: A systems approach to professional well-being. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25521 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., et al. (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. The Lancet, 392(10157), 1553–1598. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31612-X [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Republic of the Philippines. (2018). Republic Act No. 11036: Mental Health Act. Official Gazette. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Roth, C., Wensing, M., Rojnic Kuzman, M., et al. (2021). Experiences of healthcare staff providing community-based mental healthcare as a multidisciplinary community mental health team in Central and Eastern Europe: Findings from the RECOVER-E project. BMC Psychiatry, 21, 525. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03542-2 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Shibuya, F., Usami, M., Santillan, M. D., et al. (2025). Comparative study on school-based mental health literacy in three Asian countries. Tropical Medicine and Health, 53, 86. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-025-00697-6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53–55. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. World Health Organization. (2021). Comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2030. World Health Organization. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. World Health Organization. (2021). Mental health atlas 2020. World Health Organization. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. World Health Organization. (2022). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. World Health Organization. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. World Health Organization. (2025). Mental health atlas 2024. World Health Organization. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Marital Adjustment and Its Relationship with Stress, Mental Health, Expectation, and Body Image
• Global and Malaysian Perspectives on Mental Health and Digital Interventions (2020–2025): A Narrative Review
• Burden of Antipsychotic-induced Parkinsonism: A Case Report
• Mental Health in Cameroon: The Challenge of Treating Trauma. Case Study of Treatment Using the EMDR Protocol
• Reliability and Validity Assessment of a Psychological Adaptation Measurement Tool for College Students