Senator airs alarm over rising youth suicide rate

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Joel Villanueva yesterday expressed alarm over the increasing rate of suicides among the Filipino youth.

During the organizational meeting of the Senate committee on youth chaired by Villanueva on Wednesday, the National Poison Management and Control Center of the Philippine General Hospital presented that 46 percent of total suicide cases recorded since 2010 are from the youth; 30 percent are young adults aged 20 to 35 years, while the remaining 16 percent are those aged 10 to 19.

The 2014 global report on preventing suicide by the World Health Organization revealed that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 15 to 29 years of age across the globe.

The same report cited 2,558 cases of suicide in the Philippines in 2012.

Villanueva said the rate of youth suicide in the country is relatively low compared to neighboring countries in the region.

“But the bad news is that the suicide rates in the country have been on the rise,” he said. “Incidence is highest among young adults aged 15 to 24 for both boys and girls, according to the Philippine Psychiatric Association.”

Villanueva also acknowledged there are unreported cases due to social stigma against people with suicidal tendencies.

“Some people are afraid to report or consult their suicidal ideation because they do not want to be judged as someone with a mental disorder,” he said.

Villanueva said education regarding mental health and suicide prevention must be intensified.

“We should also mandate schools to have suicide hotlines and the appropriate system to support this.

“Access to healthcare and support system are very limited. We should intensify public education and mandate the setup of support systems in schools and communities to help prevent suicide.”

Villanueva said the National Center for Mental Health has reported that of the 490 psychiatrists nationwide, only 35 are child psychiatrists.

He said the country needs more child psychiatrists and “we must also empower, train, and increase our municipal health officers so we can pay more attention to undiagnosed, untreated individuals.” 

Villanueva has filed Senate Bill 1163, the Youth Suicide Prevention Act, which seeks to establish the National Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to formulate strategies for youth suicide early intervention, prevention and response.

The bill also proposes to standardize collection and management of data and promote evidence-based research on youth suicide and institutionalize the 24/7 national hotline for suicide prevention.

Earlier this week, rapper-comedian Blakdyak was found dead, an apparent suicide, after a life marked by arrests for drug use and other run-ins with the law.