THE city is experiencing a severe spike in suicide incidence compared to the previous year, Liza Bulayungan, deputy head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), revealed on Monday.
With only the first half of the year over, the city has already logged 19 suicide cases, only five less than the 24 logged throughout the entirety of the previous year.
Bulayungan said that out of the 19 cases recorded, 16 were males and three were females, with ages ranging from 20 to 30 years old.
The main cause, according to Bulayungan, was depression triggered by stress, mental health issues and disorders, family, and financial problems, among other reasons.
The increasing incidence of suicide in the city was logged as early as April, with Ricky Ducas, mental health coordinator of the City Health Services Office (CHSO), warning of rising suicide incidence alongside growing mental illness incidence in the city.
To address the matter, the CHSO is making moves to provide psycho-education and psycho-social support at the grassroots level in the city’s various barangays in partnership with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and the CHSO’s population department.
According to Ducas, while the reception to the programs has been overall positive, the lack of manpower and appropriate resources means the initiative is forced to limit participation to targeted vulnerable sectors as opposed to being open to the general populace.
