PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — A city councilor has urged all public and private high schools, colleges and universities here Monday to conduct massive information and education campaign on depression and address it as a serious health issue affecting students.
City Councilor Nesario Awat made the request in his proposed resolution, appealing to these learning institutions to work closely with the City Health Office (CHO).
Awat’s proposed measure cited the case of a young female student who reportedly chose to end her life due to depression.
“Someone already died. It’s like it’s getting to be a trend among students… because of depression, they commit suicide. Each life is important, it is a big thing if school authorities help in coming up with a campaign about it,” he said.
According to his resolution, depression is a common and serious medical illness negatively affecting how a person feels, thinks, and acts.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO)-Philippines’ 2017 global statistics, more than 300 million people are battling depression, an increase of more than 18 percent in a decade, between 2005 and 2015.
In the country alone, an estimated 3.2 million people are living with depression, while over 3.07 million are affected by anxiety.
He said the common causes of depression among students are issues and problems about their studies, which make them vulnerable to depression and could lead to suicide.
“Some lose their interest in their studies, and they get depressed because their grades are low, right? The second is they have financial problems, and third, their parents also become their problem. Sometimes, it’s love life, and the fifth, is the problem in their community,” he said.
Awat said he is looking forward to the response and immediate action of the schools and to the success of the process of planning and carrying out of the resolution. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)
