SIXTEENTH COhGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular S¢ssion 
SENATE 
S.No. 2821 
) 
) 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
'15 
JUN -8 P 4 :34 
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR RESEARCH ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION 
I 
AND PSYCHOSIS 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Consti~ution, Article II, Section 15, provides: 
The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people 
and instilll)ealth consciousness among them. 
, 
Postpartum depression is a devastating mood disorder which strikes many women 
I 
, 
during and after pregnancy. Postpartum mood changes are common and can be broken 
into three subgroups: 'baby blues,' characterized by mood swings, feelings of being 
overwhelmed, tearfulness, irritability, poor sleep, mood changes, and a sense of 
vulnerability, and is an extremely common and the less severe form of postpartum 
depression; postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, which are more severe than baby 
blues and can occur during pregnancy and anytime within the first year of the infant's 
birth; and postpartum psychosis, which is the most extreme form of postpartum 
depression and can occur during pregnancy and up to twelve months after delivery, and 
its symptoms include losing touch with reality, distorted thinking, delusions, auditory 
hallucinations, paranoia, hyperactivity, and rapid speech or mania. 
Although experts offered theories that might explain this disorder, the causes of 
postpartum depression are complex and unknown at this time. Furthermore, it is 
estimated that there were 126,826 cases of postpartum depression in the Philippines in 
2004, but this number has been heavily measured through statistical extrapolation rather 
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than an actual count. This complete lack of statistics and information concerning this 
disorder is alarming. If this disorder goes undiagnosed and! or untreated, postpartum 
depression can lead to further depression, substance abuse, loss of employment, divorce 
and further social alienation, self-destructive behavior, or even suicide. Other known 
sociological impacts include negative effects on the infant's physical and psychological 
development, child abuse, neglect or death of the infant or other siblings, and the 
disruption of the family. 
But postpartum depression is a treatable disorder if promptly diagnosed by a 
trained provider and attended to with a personalized regimen of care including social 
support, therapy, medication, and, when necessary, hospitalization. Research and public 
information campaigns is valuable in the diagnosis and treatment, and could eliminate the 
social stigma surrounding depression and mental illness, the myth of motherhood, the 
new mother's inability to self-diagnose her condition, the new mother's shame or 
embarrassment over discussing her depression so near to the birth ofher child, the lack of 
understanding in society and the medical community of the complexity of postpartum 
depression.! 
l'~ ~..-.. .O.~ 
MIRlAM DEFllS'~BOR ~NtIFGO 
11' 
I This bill was originally filed in the Third Regular Session of the Thirteenth Congress, and re-
filed in the First Regular Session of the Fourteenth Congress. 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENATE 
S.No. 
2821 
) 
) 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
j:Jcnni'r 
(1f}HI:r nf !file ;~! ,rl"t.!:tf"\! 
'15 
JUN -8 P4 :34 
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR RESEARCH ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION 
AND PSYCHOSIS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. -
This Act shall be known as the "Postpartum 
2 
Depression Research Act". 
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SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. - For the purposes of this Act, the term: 
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A. "Secretary" shall refer to the Secretary of the Department of Health; 
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B. "Postpartum conditions" shall refer to the complex combination of 
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physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that occur in a mother after 
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giving birth, ranging from mild to severe depression. 
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SECTION 3. Research on Postpartum Depression and Psychosis.-
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A. In General. - The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National 
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Center for Mental Health (in this section referred to as the "Center"), shall 
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expand and intensify research and related activities of the Center with 
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respect to postpartum conditions. 
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B. Coordination With Other Centers. - The Director of the Center shall 
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coordinate the activities of the Director under subsection (A) with similar 
15 
activities conducted by the other national research centers and agencies of 


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the Department of Health to the extent that such centers and agencies have 
2 
responsibilities that are related to postpartum conditions. 
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C. Programs for Postpartum Conditions. - In carrying out subsection (A), the 
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Director of the Center shall conduct or support research to expand the 
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understanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, postpartum 
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conditions. Activities under such subsection shall include conducting and 
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supporting the following: 
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1. basic research concerning the etiology and causes of the conditions; 
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2. epidemiological studies to address the frequency and natural history 
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of the conditions; 
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3. development of improved diagnostic techniques; 
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4. Clinical research for the development and evaluation of new 
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treatments, including new biological agents; and 
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5. Information and education programs for health care professionals 
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and the public. 
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SECTION 4. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions 
17 
of this Act shall be included in the budget of concerned government agencies in the 
18 
General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter. 
19 
SECTION 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid or 
20 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other 
21 
provisions hereof. 
22 
SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, and issuances, or 
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portions thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby 
24 
repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
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1 
SECTION 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
2 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
iam14June2015 
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