WATCH: This is What Having a Mental Illness is Like

Whoever said the world of OPM is dying was wrong. There are a lot of amazing Filipino bands out there, and some even more amazing than others because of their advocacies and how they create awareness on important issues. One such band is December Avenue. If you haven’t seen it yet, December Avenue’s official music video for ‘Bulong’ touches on mental health issues in a very real and very relatable way for those who suffer from it.

It’s no longer a secret that I am mentally unhealthy (read my personal blog post on schizophrenia here); so I, for one, completely and truly appreciate it when well-known people make an effort to create awareness on the subject. And that is exactly what December Avenue did with their music video for ‘Bulong’.

‘Bulong’ starts off innocently enough with a couple on a romantic date. They’re having fun. They share sweet moments. The guy even gives the girl a necklace. He seems happy. She seems happy. They seem happy. They even share a fun moment walking down the street with the girl on piggyback.

And then they get home and out of nowhere, it seems, the girl breaks down and starts crying and screaming, and even clawing at her skin. While the guy seems to be at a loss of what to do, he doesn’t leave her. He stays with her and embraces her and chooses to love her despite what he has just seen. Watch the full video here if you haven’t yet:

For those of you who don’t know, this is exactly what having a mental illness is like on a regular basis – or, at least, this is what it is like for me. Watching the video felt like I was watching my own life on-small-screen and I immediately shared it with my friends. I have come to find that I am not able to voice out what it’s like to be mentally unwell, and I am not able to explain my emotional outbursts when they happen, either; but December Avenue did exactly that for me through this beautifully done music video.

“We were really careful to portray it with sensitivity and honesty, knowing a lot of people would be able to identify with the condition,” Gee Canlas, who stars as the woman in the video, shares.

If you are suffering through something similar and don’t know how to voice out your feelings, maybe this video will help you in the little way that it helped me. Conversely, if you know anyone who is suffering from a mental health issue, please do try to help. Sometimes, just being there and just giving them a hug can do a world of wonders at helping them out. Take it from me.