Preventing a mental health crisis

The mass shooting in a Bangkok mall a few days ago involving a minor with a history of mental illness has cast a spotlight on young people and the growing trend of mental health problems among them. The incident, which resulted in two deaths, may have happened in a neighboring country but it does not make it any less relevant to the Philippine setting, especially as we mark National Mental Health Month.

Of specific concern is the number of mental health cases reported among young Filipino students. Per the Department of Education (DepEd), 404 students took their own lives while 2,147 others attempted suicide during Academic Year 2021-2022. In addition, 775,962, out of the country’s 28 million young learners in public schools, sought the assistance of guidance counselors for the same period.

This number is certainly more than what the country’s guidance counselors could handle: as of 2021, DepEd reported, there were only 2,093 of them or a ratio of one mental health professional to nearly 13,400 learners.

Last June, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel urged President Marcos to declare a mental health emergency because the country “cannot afford to keep turning a blind eye on the hundreds of young lives that have been taken by academic and economic pressures of today’s society.” He added that it was high time the government paid attention to the prevailing mental health crisis and crafted a national course of action.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that unaddressed mental health issues will put a huge burden on future generations. As of 2021, WHO estimated that one in seven, or 13 percent, of 10–19-year-olds globally experience mental health conditions and that half of all mental health disorders in adulthood start by age 14 but most of the cases are undetected and untreated.

“If these disorders are left untreated, they can extend into adult life, thus impacting educational attainment, employment, relationships, and even parenting,” said Tarun Dua, a mental health adviser at the WHO.

It’s not only young people; adults who belong to generations that barely acknowledged and considered mental illness a taboo suffer from at least one type of mental, neurological, or substance use disorder. The National Mental Health Program said 1,145,871 Filipinos suffered from depression and 213,422 from schizophrenia in 2020.

No doubt that the Philippines has made breakthroughs in pushing mental health into the national agenda and society has become more open to discussing it. But the figures quoted above and the reality on the ground bear out the fact that there is still so much more that needs to be done in terms of lawmaking, and institutional and budget support.

For one, treatment for mental disorders remains costly and inaccessible, especially for those who need it most: the poor and vulnerable sectors whose living conditions can have adverse effects on their mental well-being.

The landmark passage of Republic Act No. 11306 or the Mental Health Act (MHA) in 2018 was supposed to make mental health services more accessible to the public. But the truth is that the minimal budget that goes into the government’s mental health program — P1.9 billion for both the awareness campaign and medicines for this year — reflects its low priority.

The state of the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) — ”tragic” and in “poor condition” in the words of a senator — is also emblematic of the kind of mental health service available in the country.

At least two proposals meant to complement the MHA and ensure the accessibility of mental health services in schools and communities have been put forward: for local governments to enact ordinances that will integrate mental health service into basic health service; and for Congress to pass a new law, the proposed Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, that will task the DepEd to establish “care centers” in schools and create plantilla positions for trained personnel to manage the program.

The recent case of a Grade 5 student who allegedly died from a brain hemorrhage after being slapped by a teacher only underscores the importance of providing professional mental health training to educators and guidance counselors. But all these — the localization of mental health services as well as training and additional positions for mental health professionals — require a budget, which the sector already has very little of.

The government cannot continue to handle the mental health issue the way previous generations have handled mental illness: ignored, denied, untreated. It must take concrete action now or it will have a full-blown mental health crisis in its hands.

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If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health. Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline.