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Depression Prevalent Among Pinoy Children
Depression Prevalent Among Pinoy Children
Pinoy children
The Philippine Star
30 Oct 2017
By MAYEN JAYMALIN
Rep. Rida Robes of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan revealed this in a privilege
speech last Tuesday evening as she lamented the rising rates of suicide
among the country’s youth.
Citing a 2017 World Health Organization report, Robes said eight in every
100,000 Filipinos commit suicide. Of this figure, six are males, while two are
females, aged 15 to 29 years old.
The same report showed that an average of 3,000 people worldwide take their
own lives every day, or a suicide case every 40 seconds.
Robes said the study attributed the increase in suicide cases to social media,
changing lifestyle and lack of family and community support, which led to a
convergence of “risk factors” like social disconnection and weakening of
“helpful factors” such as genuine relationships and healthy lifestyles.
Robes has asked colleagues in Congress to pass a law that would restore the
study of values education as a stand-alone subject in basic and higher
educational curricula. Legislation on responsible social media usage among
young people should also be passed, she further stated.
Robes also vowed to move for the conduct of a congressional inquiry on the
construction and loading of senior high school curriculum, and probe into the
age-appropriateness of difficult subjects such as calculus, statistics and
research, as well as the exercise of its oversight powers over the
implementation of Republic Act 11036, also known as the Philippine Mental
Health Law.
The lawmaker also urged religious institutions, civil society organizations and
private corporations to contribute their share in addressing these emergent
problems through counseling, stress debriefing, establishment of helplines for
young people.