AXA’s 2025 Mind Health Study shows that while Filipinos are highly aware of mental health issues, many still don’t know how to respond when they or others face mental health challenges.
As the new year pushes many Filipinos to reset their priorities around health, balance, and well-being, mental health has firmly entered the national conversation. Awareness is no longer the problem. Action is.
This is the central finding of AXA’s 2025 Mind Health Study, which shows that while the Philippines ranks among the highest globally in mental health awareness, many Filipinos remain unsure how to respond when mental health challenges arise—whether in themselves or in others.
According to the study, 65 percent of Filipinos say they are aware of mental health issues. Yet only about a third say they know what to actually do when confronted with anxiety, emotional distress, or other mental health concerns. The gap between knowing and doing, researchers warn, is where real risk begins.
Paula Ferrer Cheng, Head of Research and Development at Mind You, AXA Philippines’ mental health partner, said awareness alone can leave people stuck. “It’s not enough to know what anxiety looks like—people need to know what to do,” Cheng said. “Awareness without action leaves people vulnerable to worsening conditions. Education has to move beyond recognition and toward response. Without that, early warning signs can quietly escalate into long-term distress.”
That disconnect, Cheng noted, carries emotional as well as economic consequences. When people do not know how or when to seek help, mental health issues may go unaddressed for too long, affecting productivity, relationships, and overall quality of life.
AXA launches the Mind Health Self-Check tool to help Filipinos assess their mental state and access practical self-care resources for better mental health management.
The AXA study reinforces this point, showing that individuals who consider themselves well-informed about mental health—those who understand symptoms, support options, and practical next steps—are significantly more likely to report positive mental well-being and better long-term outcomes.
“Awareness is an important first step, but real progress happens when people know they can take action with the right support,” said Ayman Kandil, CEO of AXA Philippines. “Guided by our purpose to act for human progress, AXA stands as a partner to Filipinos—helping them take meaningful steps toward better mind health through practical, reliable resources and solutions.”
One of those solutions is the newly launched Mind Health Self-Check, a free and anonymous digital tool designed to help individuals better understand their emotional well-being. Rather than offering vague reassurance, the tool provides users with a structured assessment of their mental state, allowing them to move from uncertainty to clarity.
The Mind Health Self-Check evaluates three key areas of life: current state of mind, skills and beliefs, and lifestyle. Based on a detailed set of questions, users receive a single Mind Health Index score ranging from 0 to 100, developed using AXA’s proprietary methodology.
Scores are grouped into four categories, from flourishing, which reflects strong emotional, social, and psychological well-being, to struggling, which signals significant distress and impairment and often points to the need for support.
Cheng said the patterns emerging from these assessments reflect deeper, long-building pressures. “The findings we see aren’t isolated,” she explained. “They point to accumulated strain and underline the importance of early, compassionate support before problems become overwhelming.”
This observation is echoed in separate data from Mind You. In a study of more than 15,000 employees, the most common reason for seeking help was not a formal diagnosis, but the simple need for someone to talk to, cited by 28.01 percent of respondents.
Emotional distress accounted for 80 percent of help-seeking behavior, while growing curiosity about mental health services pointed to a cultural shift toward openness and empathy in the workplace.
“When people don’t know how to respond to mental health challenges, they often delay getting support—and that delay can affect both personal well-being and livelihoods,” Kandil said. “Filipinos who are more informed are better equipped to take action and to thrive. That’s why we believe it’s crucial to move beyond awareness and toward practical solutions that empower individuals to care for their mind health.”
Beyond the self-check tool, AXA’s health plans include free mental health counseling, while its latest critical illness plan, Health Max Elite, provides coverage for select mental health conditions—positioning mental well-being as a core part of long-term health protection rather than an afterthought.
As conversations around mental health grow louder, AXA’s message is clear: awareness opens the door, but action changes outcomes. For many Filipinos, the next step may simply be knowing where to start—and having the confidence to take it.