Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday, May 18 called on the government to proactively address the ongoing mental health pandemic in the country by putting in place intervention programs for vulnerable sectors.
Gatchalian reiterated his call as the country celebrates Mental Health Action Day as he call on the government action to curb the rise of the phenomenon through targeted intervention programs aimed at thwarting suicide attempts and address mental health concerns of Filipinos.
Sa panahong patuloy tayong bumabangon mula sa pinsalang dinulot ng pandemya, hindi na natin maaaring ipagpaliban ang pagpapatupad ng mga hakbang upang pangalagaan ang mental health ng ating mga kababayan (At a time when we continue to recover from the damage caused by the pandemic, we can no longer postpone the implementation of measures to protect the mental health of our countrymen),” Gatchalian said.
“Ang ating bansa ay nasa ilalim ng pandemya ng mental health at kailangan nating alagaan ang ating mga kababayan, lalo na ang mga nanganganib na makaranas ng mga isyu sa mental health (Our country is under a mental health pandemic and we need to take care of our countrymen, especially those who are at risk of experiencing mental health issues),” said the senator who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
During the Senate’s hearing on the mental health situation in the Philippines, it was revealed that suicide-related calls to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) consistently rose from 2019 to 2021.
According to the NCMH, suicide-related calls to the NCMH rose to 2,841 in 2020, from 712 in 2019. The number further increased to 5,167 in 2021.
However, what is alarming, Gatchalian said is that there were more deaths by suicide than suicide-related calls.
This suggests that many of those who died by suicide or attempted to take their lives struggled to seek help, he said.
Gatchalian also pointed out the vulnerability of young people to mental health problems considering that of the total 21,648 total calls, including suicide-related calls, received by the NCMH for 2021, 4,800 or roughly 20 percent, were from callers younger than 17.
He also noted that 60 percent of the callers are aged 18 to 30, suggesting that those who call the NCMH also belong to the working class.
On Wednesday night, Gatchalian sponsored the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act (Senate Bill No. 2200), one of his priority measures for the 19th Congress, which seeks to strengthen the delivery of mental health services in the country’s basic education schools.
In his speech, the lawmaker said it is imperative for lawmakers to “create a world where mental health is valued, where those who are struggling are not judged or dismissed but embraced with understanding and care.”
“We owe it to our children to provide them with an education that is not only academically driven but also mentally and emotionally enriching. Only then can we truly say that we are providing our learners with quality education),” he stressed.