The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) released a statement denouncing the misuse of psychology by politics in the run-up to the elections.

This includes the recent controversy concerning the release of purported psychiatric evaluations of Liberal Party standard-bearer Senator Noynoy Aquino saying he suffered depression and melancholia when he was younger. The Ateneo de Manila Psychology Department, from which the evaluations supposedly came, has denied the authenticity of the documents.

According to the statement, “The [PAP] considers some recent occurrences in the current electoral campaigns as an affront to psychologists and to psychology as a discipline and profession. In particular, partisan individuals and media practitioners have not only presented to the public fraudulent psychological reports, but have also made inaccurate statements about different aspects of the practice of psychology and the nature of psychological functioning.”

The psychologist group added that these have “dangerous long-term effects” on those in the Philippine psychology community.

The PAP denounced the supposed release of psychological test results to the media, saying that this went against the PAP Code of Ethics. The group also criticized “the suggestions made by politicians, media practitioners, and others to force political candidates to take psychological tests or assessment,” saying that a person may only undergo psychological evaluation of their own free will.

The statement added that the “insinuation that people who see a psychologist or any mental-health professional is ‘abnormal’ or ‘permanently debilitated’… perpetuate a profound lack of understanding of psychological concepts, of the nature of psychological problems and dysfunctions, and of the nature of psychological health and wellbeing.”

“The PAP would like to stress to politicians, to media practitioners, and to the public at large that seeing a psychologist or any mental health professional does not make a person ‘abnormal,’” said the group. “Seeing a psychologist means ensuring our mental health and psychological well-being.”