... gma: jessica soho interviews soliman cruz ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, quezon city, manila, philippines)

Soliman Cruz admits hearing voices in his head; diagnosed with probable schizophrenia (excerpts)

Lyn Luna Montealegre, Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP)

soliman and the kapuso mo, jessica soho crew

Several witnesses revealed that they often see Soliman walking along Roxas Boulevard and talking to himself. Some said that they even see the actor sleeping along the seawall. News about Mang Sol’s [Soliman] strange state and behavior spread like wildfire on various social networking sites. This prompted Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho to feature the character actor on its recent episode last Sunday, December 16. Soliman, now known as Mang Sol, is staying at a friend’s art gallery located in Singalong, Manila.

Does he have problems with his vices?

Mang Sol denied that he has a drinking problem but he admitted, “Eto yung paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kung nagbibisyo ka ba, nagda-drugs. At eto yung kasagutan ko, I’m not in denial pero may programa ako sa sarili ko. Di ba, sa Narcotics Anonymous may twelve steps…May mga bahaging okay, may mga bahaging hindi okay kaya binabalanse ko.”

What are the challenges being faced by the actor now?

The character actor revealed, “It’s all about the voices in my head. I hear voices. I have to talk to them.”

What are these voices telling you?

The veteran actor said, “Marami. Marami silang sinasabi tungkol sa akin. Sa aming mga ideya. Pag ako naglalakad, ang pag-uusap namin tungkol sa Boatman’s club…ang Boatman’s Club ay kapitbahay ng Manila Yacht Club. Ito ay transmutasyon ng Malate Business Club. Hindi ko alam kung sino sila. Maaaring ako rin yun.”

Did he seek medical help?

“Pumunta ako sa isang psychiatrist noong may teleserye pa ako. Ngayon ay di ko pa makakayanan bumisita sa clinika niya. Ito ay hindi problema. Ito ay kailangan magpursige at maghanap ng proyekto.”

DIAGNOSIS OF SOLIMAN. Since Mang Sol mentioned that he would like to talk to a psychiatrist, Jessica arranged for him to be checked and evaluated by psychiatrist-psychologist Dr. Randy Dellosa.

After the consultation, Dr. Dellosa said: “Yung actual diagnosis ko sa kanya ay methamphetamine dependence and also probable schizophrenia."

According to medicinenet.com, symptoms of schizophrenia may include "delusions, hallucinations, catatonia, negative symptoms, and disorganized speech or behavior."

Dr. Dellosa explained, “Ang paggamit ng drugs ay nakaka-imbalance ng chemicals sa utak.

"Pag na imbalance ang chemicals sa utak, nagkakaroon ng hallucinations at yun ang nangyari kay Sol. Mayroon siyang mga naririnig na auditory hallucinations na voices. Kinakausap niya itong mga bulong.”

The doctor clarified that this condition is treatable.

“There’s medication for that. It’s very easy to treat psychosis…Kailangan niya ng individual psychotherapy o counseling. Kasi mayroon siyang mga angst sa buhay. Kagaya ng problems niya with si misis ... Kung masyadong matindi ang emotions niya, masyado siyang nalulungkot o nagagalit, pwede siyang mag-resort sa drugs. He also needs to have marital or family counseling. Besides that, kailangan niya ng support group para ma-encourage at ma-inspire siya.”

soliman cruz with nathan lopez in the award-winning movie 

'ang pagdadalaga ni maximo oliveros'

STILL AN ARTIST AT HEART. 

What are his plans for Christmas?

He said, “... Maghahanap siguro ako uli ng isang lugar na maaaring akong magdasal. “Yung teatro ang aking parang… Kailangan kong magdasal. Hindi ako makapagdasal kung hindi ako lilikha. Ang paglikha ay pagdarasal.”

Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho already gave some medication to Soliman Cruz. Family members and friends of the character actor can contact these numbers to extend their help: Tel. No. 982-7777 local 1426 / 1427

... alcoholism, alcohol abuse and dependence, and alcohol rehab detox / detoxification rehabilitation treatment center in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila, philippines)

pat mallari and alyssa de dios of st. scholastica's college, manila asked me some questions on alcoholism.  i referred them to DSM-V proposed criteria for Alcohol Abuse Disorder. 

DSM-V states that an alcoholic is generally someone who has a strong urge to use alcohol, who takes in large and progressively increasing amounts of alcohol, whose life revolves around the use of alcohol such that it significantly affects different aspects of his daily life, who persists in its usage despite the negative consequences, and who experiences withdrawal symptoms upon stopping its usage.

some alcoholics drive under the influence of alcohol which is a major cause of lethal vehicular accidents.  other alcoholics experience "black-outs" wherein they have no memory of what was done during the time they were intoxicated.  alcohol is a toxin to the liver so many chronic alcoholics develop hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other liver ailments.

chronic alcoholics need to undergo a gentle detoxification process because if they quit cold turkey, they may experience life-threatening seizures.  some alcoholics have a strong support system and are strongly determined to quit alcohol thus, an outpatient detox and rehab program is appropriate for them.  but for majority of chronic alcoholics who lack the willpower to quit, they will need to go through an intensive in-patient detox and rehab program which must have a strong individual and family counseling component.

... drug and alcohol detoxification, rehabilitation, and treatment in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

nemia de guzman-turla is the host of doctors online, a medical talk show of christian radio station 702 DZAS (AM band).  today's interview focused on the management of addiction.

addiction is characterized by the 4 p's:  
(1) preoccupation with the substance,
(2) progression (or escalation) of its use,
(3) persistence in using substance despite negative consequences,
(4) poor control at stopping its use.

mainstay components of treatment include:
(1) detoxification 
(2) rehabilitation
(3) counseling (individual, couples, family)
(4) lifestyle revision
(5) monitoring/ accountability system.

in my 15 years of managing an addiction recovery center, i've witnessed thousands of individuals overcome their addiction.  change is possible for most addicted individuals, and what Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous claims- that "once and addict, always an addict," simply is NOT true!   

... drug detox center in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

ms. susan k., host of nbn-4's tv program "pilipinas online bantay ocw," invited me to talk on the topic of drug detox. i described in a nutshell what my drug detox program entails.

patients for detox must be self-volunteered and willing to be confined in a drug detox center for 2 weeks. this short-term drug detox program is convenient for busy professionals and students and consists of:

(1) a physical/ medical exam

(2) psychological/ psychiatric evaluation

(3) medical treatment to rid brain and body of chemical imbalances and toxins from drug use

(4) behavioral contracting

substance addiction is a big problem many people and drug detox is the first step to address it.

... gambling addiction, counseling, and rehab in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

broadcast journalist of GMA News, mr. cesar apolinario, asked me for sound bites on the topic of gambling addiction.

gambling addiction, like all addictions, is characterized by:

(1) a preoccupation over the addictive substance (in this case, an addictive behavior),

(2) a progressive escalation of the addictive behavior (meaning, the compulsive behavior worsens over time),

(3) persistence despite the negative consequences, and

(4) an inability to control one's self from engaging in the addictive behavior.

the "high"of gambling comes from the suspense of what the cards or dice will reveal, and the thrill of chasing losses.

many lives have been destroyed by gambling addiction. clearly, the compulsive gambler needs to undergo a rehabilitation program.

... "wish ko lang" that you quit the booze ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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because plainly speaking, alcohol is a toxin.

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how can it harm you? let me count the ways:

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1. damage to the nervous system (impaired transmission of nerve impulses, Wernicke’s disease, Korsakoff’s syndrome)
2. damage to the digestive system (gastritis, ulceration, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, colon cancer)
3. damage to the cardiovascular system (hypertension, cardiomyopathy, increased risk of heart failure and stroke)
4. damage to the reproductive system (erectile dysfunction, testicular shrinkage, descreased sperm production, loss of libido)
5. damage to the endocrine system (diabetes)

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whew! and to think that we haven't even discussed the mental, emotional, relational damage which alcohol can do!

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gma's wish ko lang and life change recovery center (lcrc) granting mang melchor another lease on life. let's hope mang melchor maximizes the opportunities given to him.

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