ANOTHER youngster, a student in Iloilo, was reported to have committed suicide recently. The family believed the youngster suffered from depression, citing pressure from all over such as studies, the pandemic, peers, etc.
Could there be more such cases but were just not recorded by or reported to the police? Probably.
Why do some people commit suicide? Many point to depression driving some to kill themselves. A few years ago there was this raging public debate on whether or not depression is a serious condition. The debate only proved that Filipinos need to be educated more on matters pertaining to mental health.
Depression is no joke. Those suffering from it, especially the youth, need support. Three of the suicide cases reported last month involved young people aged 22, 18 and 14 years old. A national paper reported last week that 3.3 million Filipinos suffer from depression.
According to the Department of Health, depression is a form of mental illness, a serious health condition. In fact, it says 20 percent (one out of five) of Filipino adults suffer from some form of mental illness. But now it is affecting even young people. The weight of haplessness, hopelessness and helplessness — the three dreaded “H” symptoms of depression — gravitate towards what now are the new high-risk group: the young population.
Many of the health problems we encounter arise from mental conditions. Our physicians see a significant proportion of common symptoms such as fatigue, abdominal pain, and back pain for which they don’t find a cause. If we will be able to identify patients’ psychosocial stressors and common mental and behavioral conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance use, we can understand more about what drive these symptoms and be able to give appropriate care and treatment.
We have the Philippine Mental Health Law (Republic Act 11036) enacted in 2018. It bats for the establishment of an accessible mental care system integrated in the general health services infrastructure. Certainly, Filipinos from all walks of life should benefit from a national mental health policy focused on information dissemination and making treatment accessible.
