Rabiya Mateo shows her mental health diagnosis: “Years of battling it”

• Rabiya Mateo revealed that she was diagnosed with depression with anxious distress last year and shared how she struggled daily while undergoing medication and stepping away from public life
• The beauty queen said leaving the country for months helped her avoid triggers and gave her space to survive a very difficult period
• Rabiya explained that seeing the pain of Kuya Kim Atienza and his family after Emman’s death pushed her to keep fighting for her life and for her mother
• She also called for kindness and an end to bullying while continuing to use her platform to advocate for mental health awareness

Rabiya Mateo took to Facebook to open up about a deeply personal chapter of her life, revealing that she was diagnosed with depression with anxious distress last year. She shared how the past year had been emotionally overwhelming, marked by medication, leaving the country for months to avoid triggers, and a daily struggle just to keep going.

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Rabiya admitted she nearly disappeared from public life altogether, but said the pain experienced by Kuya Kim Atienza and his family after the death of Emman Atienza became a turning point that strengthened her resolve to keep fighting, especially for her mother. She also spoke about how small acts of kindness matter greatly to people dealing with depression and strongly called for an end to bullying, which she said causes deep and lasting harm.

“Mental Health Awareness. 2025, I was diagnosed with depression and anxious distress. I had my several rounds of medication. I left the country for 3 months so I won’t get triggered by people who have no idea what I’ve been going through.

Everyday was a struggle to survive. I almost deactivated everything and disappear to have a quiet and peaceful life. I fought hard and still fighting up until now.

When I saw what happen to Emman and saw how painful it was for Kuya Kuya Kim Atienza and his family, I made a promise to myself to never give up because I dont want my Mama to experience the same thing.

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You don’t know how little kindness mean to a depressed person like me and how your words can push me to do something else.

I planned to keep my depression to myself. Years of battling it every day. Years of trying to keep myself together.

Bullying needs to stop now. It causes harm more than you ever know!”

Rabiya Mateo is best known as the winner of Miss Universe Philippines 2020, where she represented Iloilo City and later competed at the Miss Universe pageant. After her pageant journey, she transitioned into showbiz, appearing in television projects, films, and endorsements while also becoming a prominent public figure. Rabiya has used her platform to advocate for self love, resilience, and now mental health awareness, earning admiration for her openness and courage in sharing her personal struggles.

In an earlier report, actress and beauty queen Rabiya Mateo made headlines after being involved in a wakeboarding accident. She took to social media to post a short clip showing the injuries she sustained during the incident. Despite the scare, the Miss Universe Philippines 2020 titleholder assured her followers that she was doing fine and recovering well.

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Meanwhile, another report revealed that Rabiya also suffered a major financial setback after becoming a victim of an investment scam. According to GTV’s Balitanghali, the Kapuso star found out nine months ago that a trusted business partner had deceived her. As a result, she reportedly lost around P1 million. Rabiya later shared the hard lessons she learned from the experience, emphasizing the importance of being cautious and vigilant in business dealings.

Source: KAMI.com.gh