ABSTRACT
The Philippines has a rich history of folklore and Western colonization that still influences conceptualizations of psychological disorders and its treatment, as well as conceptualizations of mental health and wellness. Despite the seemingly irreconcilable differences, the overarching goal for this chapter is to present how indigenous beliefs and Western-influenced medical models intersect in the mental health practices in the Philippines. This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the country’s colonial past, and how the Spanish and American occupation has left an indelible mark on Philippines’s mental health practices through the introduction of psychology and psychiatry. This is followed by a discussion of Filipinos’ indigenous conceptualization of psychological illness and wellness, and how these can impact the type of mental health treatment that will be sought. Finally, this chapter also discusses how traditional practices and Western medicine are integrated and used in parallel with each other. Case studies are included to further illustrate how indigenous medicine, psychology, and psychiatry are practiced and integrated.
