Filipino suicides on the rise

A mental health advocate has called on Philippine Church leaders to hold peer counseling workshops, especially among the youth, to help curb an increasing number of suicides.

Mental health experts noted that suicide cases were rising because people with depression often hesitate in seeking help due to the stigma that surrounds mental disorders.

Zena Bernardo, program manager of the group Food for Hungry Minds, said the Church, with its various activities including counseling and confessions, can help reduce suicide cases.

“I hope the Catholic Church can engage in professional training for peer counseling to help avoid misconceptions about mental health,” said Bernardo.

Church leaders, however, say the Church has been at the forefront of addressing suicides.

In July, Archbishop Jose Advincula of Capiz released a pastoral letter that said the Church is “called to cultivate a ‘culture of presence’.”

He said church leaders will never have all the answers as to why suicides occur, but they can still provide comfort to their flock.

“Being present with anyone, letting them feel that we are with them, especially when they are burdened, would matter so much,” wrote the prelate.

Archbishop Advincula, however, stressed the role of families in preventing suicides.

“This can be done if parents journey with, if they give quality time to, and if they listen to their children and other members of the family,” he said. “When children see and feel that love exists in their family and homes, they realize more the value and beauty of life.” 

He also said the government and schools should strive to be an extension of the family “where everyone feels that they belong, are accepted and are loved.”

He called on school administrators to address bullying and for the government to strengthen suicide prevention programs and interventions.

“When we know of people experiencing depression, we should reach out to them,” said Archbishop Advincula. “Even if we are not mental health experts, often what depressed people need are others who are ready to listen without judgment.” 

In 2014, the Philippine Catholic bishops’ conference organized a forum on suicide where the need to counter the problem by a “culture of presence” was emphasized.

In the central province of Aklan alone, the Department of Health reported 52 cases of suicide from the start of 2017 to August this year.

In 2017, a 30-year-old Catholic lay minister attempted suicide by trying to hang himself in his room.

In the nearby province of Iloilo, government officials called for urgent action to address a rise in mental illnesses and suicides among the youth.

A total of 179 suicide or attempted suicide cases involving youngsters aged 9-21 were recorded from 2016 to June 2019, with at least 35 cases resulting in death.