Include mental health programs in curriculum, DepEd urged

MANILA, Philippines — The growing number of highly sensitive youth who commit suicide, both nationwide and worldwide, should be nipped in the bud at this early stage when programs dealing with mental health should be introduced in the Department of Education’s curriculum. 

House Bill (HB) 7858, which intends to establish Youth Health Centers nationwide to address the stigma of mental health and identify depression, includes “life education and peer counseling programs” to foster positive mental health among elementary pupils and high school students. 

Author Rep. L-Ray Villafuerte of Camarines Sur called on the DepEd to “institutionalize” the Youth Suicide Prevention program to ensure “that the mental health needs of our youth are taken care of.”

Implementing a “peer counseling program” in schools, according to the lawmaker, will encourage positive mental health for students and thus prevent suicides like the cases of fashion designer Kate Spade and CNN celebrity chef-TV host Anthony Bourdain. 

President Duterte signed into law last June Republic Act 11036, now known as the “Mental Health Law.” Former House deputy speaker Miro Quimbo, principal author of the bill, lauded the Chief Executive for the move. 

“For so many years, problems related to mental health has become a silent killer. It has literally become an epidemic. With the enactment, people grappling with depression, anxiety and bipolar conditions can now come out of the darkness,” the Marikina congressman said.

Villafuerte said HB 7858 “should include a peer counseling training course that teaches basic counseling skills as well as a mentor-mentee program to stimulate relationship and confidence building, and skill and academic motivation.” 

He disclosed that reports about youth suicide came into public light during a Senate committee on youth hearing on the National Poison Management and Control Center’s report.

The report revealed that Filipino kids as young as 10 years have committed suicide because of depression – 16 percent of the total suicide cases recorded are from the youth, teenagers aged 10-19.

A study on the prevalence of suicide attempts among Filipino youth showed that roughly one in 10 of them aged 15-27 has considered suicide as an option.