So when the province was locked down in March because of the pandemic, the sudden changes in school activities have seriously affected teachers like her. But these activities were abruptly canceled as the Department of Education (DepEd) ordered schools to shift to online learning modes. In a webinar broadcast by the Inquirer on Friday, Dr. Carolina Uno-Rayco, national executive director of the Philippine Mental Health Association, said educators were coping with mental disorders differently. Gantalao said her fellow teachers had to deal with personal struggles at home on top of their problems at work. Mental disorders are an interplay of various factors, such as biology, genetics and extreme life events, so it is important to have a reliable expert to check and identify teachers at risk of mental health problems especially in the new normal, Rayco said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 19, 2020 19:36 UTC