Depression awareness campaign proposed

City Councilor Nesario Awat on Monday filed a resolution urging private and public high schools, colleges, and universities within Puerto Princesa to conduct an information and education campaign focusing on depression. He said they could collaborate with the City Health Office (CHO) in helping address the issue that is considered a threatening health problem in the country today. “Kasi meron nang namatay. Parang trend ‘yan ngayon ng mga estudyante, because of depression nagpapakamatay. Alam natin na ang buhay ay mahalaga, isa man ‘ yan o dalawa. Malaking bagay kung ang ating mga kinauukulan lalunglalo na ‘yung tamang ahensya ng pamahalaan like ‘yung mga schools, high schools, including universities dito sa lungsod ay mag-come up ng mga pamamaraan para matugunan ang mga depresyon ng kanikanilang mga estudyante,” he said. Councilor Awat explained that his proposal was encouraged by a female student who recently died due to depression. Awat cited in his proposed resolution that depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how a person feels, thinks, and acts. Based on the 2017 global statistics record of the World Health Organization (WHO)Philippines, there are more than 300 million people battling depression, which indicates an increase of more than 18 percent in just a decade during the time period of 2005-2015. In the country alone, his resolution stated that there are an estimated 3.2 million Filipinos living in depression and over 3.07 million living with anxiety. Awat said the common problems that lead students to depression and to suicide are getting low school grades, money or not having enough financial support, parental misunderstandings, love life, and community issues. “Ang problema ng estudyante commonly ay sa pag-aaral. Ang iba nawawalan ng gana, nagkakaroon ng depression because mababa ang grades dahil nahihirapan. Pangalawa, financial. Pangatlo, ‘yung problema nila sa magulang nila. Pangapat, love life nila kasi kung minsan nauuna pa ‘yung love life [before their studies]. At yung panlima ay ‘yung problema nila sa kanilang komunidad. These are the [common] causes of depression na kung hindi mo matugunan baka might cause the loss of life ng isang estudyante,” said Awat.

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