Rabiya Mateo opens up about battle with depression: 'Every day was a struggle to survive'

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of depression.

Rabiya Mateo revealed she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxious distress in 2025.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Jan. 16, the beauty queen and TV host opened up about the mental health problems she's been dealing with since 2025. She included a screenshot of her medical certificate dated Jan. 7, 2025, showing that she's struggling with depression.

"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," she wrote.

"Every day was a struggle to survive," she said, noting how she "almost deactivated everything and disappeared" in search of a quiet, peaceful life. "I fought hard and still fighting up until now."

"You don’t know how little kindness means to a depressed person like me and how your words can push me to do something else," she continued.

Mateo won the Miss Universe Philippines title in 2020. She later competed in the international competition and finished as a Top 21 semifinalist.

She began her career in show business after signing a contract with GMA Network in November 2021, officially joining Sparkle GMA Artist Center as one of its managed artists. She made her acting debut in the Halloween special of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, and later appeared in Agimat ng Agila and Royal Blood.

She is currently part of the longest-running gag show, Bubble Gang.