NextGen Day

In light of a reported surge in suicide cases among young people during the pandemic, the government must perform an extensive examination and study on the situation of mental health among students.

House Resolution No. 900, introduced by Deputy Speaker Camille Villar, aims to assess the scope of the youth mental health epidemic and pave the way for focused interventions.

In order to address urgent needs and establish more mental health units in schools, hospitals, or rural health units, among other things, it is necessary for relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Health, Department of Education (DepEd), and the Philippine Statistics Authority, to conduct an extensive study on the current state of the population’s mental health.

“There is also an urgent need to have a proactive effort to promote their mental health and well-being, and prevent mental health disorders and improve overall mental health access and therapist services in schools and communities to address the apparent mental health crisis in the education sector,” she continued.

According to data from the DepEd, more than 400 students committed suicide in the school year 2021–2022, according to Villar.

Of the 28 million students in public schools across the nation, she claimed that 775,962 requested guidance counselors’ help at some point, with 8,000 of those cases including bullying.

The World Health Organization performed two surveys of teenage students in 2015 and 2019 that revealed an increase in suicidal thoughts among students even prior to the pandemic.

Filipino children aged 13 to 17 or those typically in grades 7 to 10 who participated in the 2015 Global School-based Student Health Survey reported that 11.6 percent of respondents “seriously considered” trying to commit suicide in the year prior to the survey, while 16.2 percent actually succeeded at least once.

In contrast, a 2019 study found that 23.1 percent of respondents had “seriously considered” trying to take their own lives, while a slightly larger proportion of surveyed students (24.3 percent) had “one or more times” tried to take their own lives in the year before to the poll.

Additionally, from 4.3 percent in 2015 to 5.9 percent in 2019, the proportion of students who stated they “did not have any close friends” increased.

According to a second study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute, about 1.5 million young Filipinos attempted suicide in 2021, up from 574,000 in a similar survey from 2013.

A total of 3.3 million Filipinos, or 3.3% of the population, suffer from depression, and the suicide death rate is 3.2 per 100,000 people.

According to Villar, “Citizens’ access to education and other essential services, as well as the success of their overall socioeconomic development, are significantly influenced by their collective health.”

Therefore, in order to institutionalize focused treatments, increase mental health awareness, and identify the mental health crisis affecting students, we must investigate the state of the apparent mental health crisis affecting the education sector.

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