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Catholic bishops tackle rising suicides in Philippines

More community-based mental health centers to be set up across the country
Suicides in the Philippines rose by almost 30 percent in the first quarter of 2022

Suicides in the Philippines rose by almost 30 percent in the first quarter of 2022. (Photo: Pixabay)

Published: June 15, 2022 10:01 AM GMT
Updated: June 15, 2022 10:28 AM GMT

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has intensified its fight for mental health services to curb the rising rate of suicide in the country.

The prelates announced on June 14 that parishes would build mental health centers in local communities to provide mental and spiritual accompaniment to those who need them.

The project came as a response to a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority stating suicides rose by almost 30 percent in the first quarter of 2022.

“Mental health has become our priority because of the rising cases of suicide in recent months. Our office has called for the establishment of more community-based mental health services in the country,” Camillian priest Father Dan Cancino of the Episcopal Commission on Healthcare said in an interview with church-run Radyo Veritas.

Father Cancino said the commission has renewed its call as part of its mission to take care of its flock.

“Our pastors are very much in touch with our people’s reality and concern today. Mental health is indeed a reality we need to address,” the clergyman added.

“It takes the whole community — the Church, schools, not just the family — to address mental health. It takes a village to raise a child"

Mental heart experts blamed the government’s failed pandemic response that hit the country’s economy.

The latest figures showed that suicide remained the 27th most common cause of death in the country in 2020, especially among those aged 30-40.

An average of 4,383 cases of intentional harm were recorded in 2021, an increase of 854 from 2020, according to government figures.

The bishops called for parents to reach out to their children and parish priests, especially in cases when their children experience depression.

Father Cancino said some dioceses in the Philippines have built their own mental health centers with volunteers for guidance counselling.

“This is a priority project and program where we would want to have more community-based mental health programs,” he added.

An association of mental health experts, however, said the government’s call mirrored the country’s lack of capability to ensure stable mental health care to its citizens

Father Cancino likewise urged dioceses and Catholic schools to include mental health in their programs.

“It takes the whole community — the Church, schools, not just the family — to address mental health. It takes a village to raise a child. Thus, all institutions should prioritize mental health by giving guidance counselling sessions to those who need it,” the priest said.

In 2020, government authorities appealed to Catholic and spiritual leaders in the Philippines to provide counseling and guidance to their followers to address their growing tension and anxiety.

An association of mental health experts, however, said the government’s call mirrored the country’s lack of capability to ensure stable mental health care to its citizens.

The Association of Philippine Psychologists and Psychiatrists said calling for aid from religious institutions was a recognition by the government that it lacked the resources to address mental health issues.

“Our bishops’ advocacy is really admirable, but at the same time it pains us to realize that we need extra mental health centers in local parishes because our government has not prioritized this issue at all,” psychologist Efren Vargas told UCA News.

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1 Comments on this Story
BOYET
I was a seminarian who had issues on my mental health. It was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and I was in the major seminary. I was away and worried about my widowed mother who have heart problems. I tried to balance the pressure of our seminary formation and the anxiety that the pandemic has brought, not only to me but to many of us. One day I decided to go secretly (since I am afraid that people will judge me) for a check-up with a psychiatrist. I was under medication and I did in spit of my limited resources out of my love for my vocation. My rector knew about it and kicked me out from the seminary. I was shattered, the reason why I was fighting and trying to survive was taken away from me. My rector never heard my side and worst judged me as he said that the seminary is not a place for someone like, it is not a facilty. There are no words to compare the hurt I felt hearing those words from him. I succumb to depression and tried to kill myself. Instead of compassion the seminary slapped me with recommendation of impediment from ordination and even cited other issues which I already faced when I entered the Galilee formation on which I satisfactorily finished. He sent me back to my diocese as a sort of an unwanted liability. Here I heard the most painful words from our clergy themselves looking at me as someone who have committed the gravest of all sins. Now tell me, is the church really serious about this mental health issue? I cannot feel it, I want to write a letter to his holiness asking him if I am bad person. Because it is what the Church is trying to tell me. They left me on my own. Is this the way the Church deals with mental health?
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