Funding will pay for a playground fenced off with chicken wire boundary a few meters from the perimeter of our pavilion, a  basketball court, a gazebo for group therapy, poles and net for volleyball, repainting of playground set or additional set of playground (swing set, monkey bars,see saw)

   
The Child and Adolescent Section of the National Center for Mental Health is divided into out-patient and  in-patient units. 

The focus of this project is on the In-patient pavilions where our patients stay for months to years depending on whether they have families or not or if they can  go home to after they have been stabilized. The in-patient area is further divided into a female pavilion (Pavilion 12 or Zonta pavilion) and the male pavilion (Pavilion 14 or Shangrila pavilion). These pavilions accept children and adolescents aged 18 years old and below (our youngest is 8 years old).

 

These patients suffer from different psychiatric diagnoses ranging from mental retardation (mild, moderate and severe), psychosis of varied etiologies (schizophrenia, drug-related psychosis, organic psychosis), seizure disorders with psychotic symptoms,bipolar disorders, children in conflict with the law,autistic disorders, ADHD with conduct disorders. Some of our female patients have history of sexual and physical abuse and other forms of exploitation.

 

   

The male pavilion can accommodate up to 40 patients while the female pavilion can accommodate up to 30 patients. The current population is composed of 35 males and 20 females. One third of our patients have unknown backgrounds, brought to the center by concerned citizens and have nowhere to go home to. Some patients came from the provinces. This section of the NCMH is thus far the biggest government psychiatric facility for children and adolescents which cater to children and adolescents with psychiatric problems.

We wish to improve the living conditions of our patients considering the lack of funds from our own government agency. We would like to provide a holistic approach to the treatment and management of our patients. Hence, aside from the psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, educational and occupational
therapies, we like to augment our facilities for our children and adolescents.

 

We wish to provide the best facility for our children and adolescent patients as they recuperate in the center by providing a milieu therapeutic to their
mental and emotional stabilization while we continue to look for the families of those who have been abandoned.