San Jose del Monte Rep Florida Robes on Friday batted for a wider government intervention to address what she described as “alarming” incidents of mental health problems among the youth.”
“It is alarming to know that, in 2021, around 1.5 million Filipino youth or seven percent attempted to commit suicide,” Robes, chair of the House committee on public accountability, said in a statement.
Robes revealed that depression, suicide, and mental health disorders have been plaguing the Filipino youth prior and even after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Citing a study conducted by Global School-Based Student Health Survey Philippines, Robes said an estimated 17 percent of 13-17 years old have attempted suicide at least once a year.
“Ironically, the quarantine restrictions at the start of the pandemic kept parents and their children in the confines of their home but still many families failed to address issues on depression and suicide. The 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study revealed that symptoms of depression among our youth spiked from 2013 to 2021, she said.
The same study showed a doubling of suicide ideation and suicide attempts among our youth from 2013 to 2021 showed that young adults (aged 15-24) have considered ending their lives, “when this is the stage where it is supposed to be the time that they are building their dreams and conquering the world”.
The same survey said that in 2013, 574,000.00 or three percent of Filipino youth attempted to end their life.
What the data presented, Robes lamented “is an autopsy of what is going wrong in our families” as cases of suicide, depression and mental health problems are just the symptoms.
To address the problem, Robes proposed “a wider government and community intervention to address these problems.”
She said several government agencies, especially the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine Commission on Women and Children have to come up programs and activities that will “create mental health awareness among families, initiate dialogue between parents and children, capacitate both parents and their children to effectively express themselves and engage in healthy and affirmative conversations with passion.”
She also urged families and communities to take initiatives supporting effective communication within families. I am aware that there are many Non-Government and Civic Society Groups that voluntarily provide services supporting the promotion and welfare of families.
Robes earlier filed a measure declaring the month of February as the “Buwan ng Nag-uusap na Pamilya”, to raise mental health awareness among family members.
She said that in San Jose del Monte alone she and her husband Mayor Arthur Robes already launched a project called “One-Like-For-Life”, a community campaign organized with doctors, nurses, psychologist and other mental health practitioners which provided counseling to the youth and children.
“There is, therefore, a need to provide avenues to bring families to talk again,” she added. Maricel V. Cruz