Tuesday Vargas Opens Up About Autism And Mental Health—Plus Free Checkups You Can Avail At PGH

Autism, anxiety, and depression know no gender, social background, or personality. Anyone can be affected by them, too! Actress and singer Tuesday Vargas recently got real on social media and shared what it's like to live with these conditions.

"I have been in therapy since 2018. More intensely during the pandemic when my condition worsened," Tuesday revealed in a Facebook post.

"Now I suffer from generalized anxiety, PTSD, and panic attack disorder, which I am currently working on. I tried to unalive myself twice," she added.

In the same post, Tuesday gave a glimpse into her childhood. She shared that being an only child of an overseas Filipino parent taught her to stand on her own at an early age.

"Madiskarte," as Filipino people would call it. But behind that "diskarte" was a young child yearning to be cared for—unknowingly, she was also living with high-functioning autism and ADHD, which made childhood more difficult.

"I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism and ADHD at the age of 12. Suddenly, my young life made sense. All that 'ang kulit ng batang yan!' was clear to me. Back then, there were little to no studies about this condition in women. Most were done on men. I didn't take meds, I did cognitive behavioral therapy," she shared.

Like many of us, the pandemic hit her hard. For years, she had been navigating different transitions from being a single mom trying to make ends meet while also coping with the heartaches of failed romantic relationships. She began therapy in 2018 and later opened up about being diagnosed with generalized anxiety, PTSD, and panic attack disorder.

"I am a fighter, a mother who is trying to become a person of value at the same time raising a son who I pray becomes the same—someone who doesn’t give up easily or uses whatever 'condition' or its effects as a crutch to just sit idly by and let life waste away," she expressed.

Tuesday highlighted the importance of prioritizing mental health. She shared information about free mental health checkups available at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

"The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) offers free psychiatric consultation and counseling services done through personal checkups. Set an appointment and wait for a representative to confirm your schedule. To set an appointment, go to their website. The PGH is located at Taft Ave., Ermita, Manila," she shared.

"As a reminder to anyone reading this, before you judge too harshly, CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS. Especially those that smile and laugh a lot, those who are really good in social situations, those that do not ask for help. Your phone call might just save a life," she added.

ICYDK, PGH online consultation is 100% free of charge. Here’s how you can book: 

Note that consultations are open from Monday to Friday, from 6AM to 6PM (except holidays). All consultations are done face-to-face, so make sure you (or the patient) can really go to PGH before booking on the website.

This consultation is only for non-emergency consultations. If it’s an emergency, please head straight to the nearest hospital or reach out to NCMH Crisis Hotline at 1800-1888-1553. Heads up: PGH only accepts 500 consultation requests per day, so register early to secure a slot.