Did You Hear Michelle Punched a Car?

Pssst! Did you hear Michelle punched a car? Whose car did she punch and why? Listen to find out!
Pssst! Did you hear Michelle punched a car? Whose car did she punch and why? Listen to find out!

This is What’s the Tsismis, a podcast on Pilipinx identity in the diaspora. Tsismis is the Tagalog word for gossip. Each week we’ll release a new episode that dives into a new topic, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s tsismis!

Heads up: Today’s episode goes deep into the topic of mental health, including discussions about harm and suicide. It also includes some explicit language.

Today’s episode host is me, Ryan Lacanilao. And the idea for this episode started with Facebook creeping. The other day, I was scrolling a year and a half down my sister-in-law Mm’s timeline when I came across my wedding video. Her sister Ailee and I got married in 2018, and Mm had posted our video. I watched it and had a good cry. I noticed Michelle, their younger sister, was so bright and full of life in the first half of the video. But in the second half, she was absent. I remembered how she missed our reception because she was crying in her room. You can watch the wedding video here: https://vimeo.com/293527930

So that's how Facebook creeping led to me wanting to call Michelle and ask her about that time when she was struggling and what she did when faced with the decision about whether to seek professional mental health support.

Listen in as Michelle tells me about a difficult time in her life. She tells me about crying in the bathroom of Padmanadi (a restaurant) and joking about it to cover it up. She tells me about who she called and who she visited when she was having suicidal thoughts. She tells me her thoughts about therapy, psychiatrists, and medication. She tells me about breaking her arm after she punched a car. She tells me about going to the ER for her broken arm and what she did when faced with the decision of whether or not to seek mental health support.

Did Michelle end up seeking mental health support or not? Listen to find out!

After talking to Michelle, I gave the other sisters a call to get their perspectives. I found out they too have their own mental health journeys to share. Being nine years older than Michelle, Mm had a different experience. Mm was a young adult when they moved to Canada from the Philippines, while Michelle was still a child. They have different personalities and perspectives. So how did all this affect their mental health journeys? What did Mm do when faced with the decision of whether or not to seek mental health support?

Listen in as Mm and Ailee tell me about their mental health journeys, how mental health is viewed in Filipino culture, and their thoughts about mental health services like counselling psychology as part of Alberta’s health care system.

If you are struggling and wondering if you could benefit from mental health supports, check out these resources:

Mental Health Help Line: Call 1-877-303-2642, toll free 24/7 from anywhere in Alberta for information about mental health programs and services and referrals to other agencies. Confidential and anonymous.

Alberta Health Services, Help in Tough Times: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/Page16759.aspx

Alberta Health Services, Addiction & Mental Health: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/amh.aspx