TABUK CITY, Kalinga – With the increasing cases of mental health issues and the alarming incidents of suicide cases over the past few months, the City Health Services Office (CHSO) said it will intensify its Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaign efforts on mental health, targeting schools within the city.
In its report during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, February 26, 2024, CHSO said 28 cases of mental illness were recorded in 2023, of which 17 are males and 11 are females. Six completed suicide incidents were also recorded last year.
This year, from January to February, five cases of suicide have been recorded, two attempted and three completed and the numbers include two females and three males.
Hilda Adong of CHSO, in an interview, said they will coordinate with different public and private schools in the city to conduct an IEC campaign on mental health awareness every Friday.
This activity will also help in their data collection, which will be submitted to other agencies like the City Barangay Affairs and Community Relations Office (CBACRO) for counseling support from religious leaders. They also plan to revive the presence of trained peer counselors in schools so students could get mental health support from someone their own age without fear of judgment.
Asked about what causes mental health issues, Adong said that unprocessed physical, psychological, and emotional needs can cause stress, which can lead to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Depression, as patients described it, is a feeling of being in a dark tunnel where there is no way out, Adong said.
Adong added that support from family, friends, church, and the community plays an important role in mental health recovery by creating an environment of empathy, trust, and open communication. She also warned about the stigma against people with mental issues, as this can cause them to avoid or delay seeking treatment. By Rod Asurin
