Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go recently filed Senate Bill 1786 seeking to mandate public higher education institutions to strengthen their mental health services and to establish Mental Health Offices in their respective campuses.
“One’s mental health has always been my priority, especially when the Covid-19 hit the country,” Go said.
The lawmaker — who also chairs the the Senate Committee on Health and Demography — disclosed that according to studies, reported suicide rates in the country have adversely increased for the past several decades, particularly among young people.
“Mental health is very important to address just like any other health concern,” Go said.
For this reason, SBN 1786 which Go filed on 26 January, aims to strengthen the mental health services of public higher education institutions by establishing a Mental Health Office in all their respective campuses, and hiring, deploying, and training of additional HEI-based mental health service personnel.
The Mental Health Offices shall set up campus hotlines with dedicated and trained guidance counselors to provide assistance to the whole HEI community, especially the students. The bill also states that special attention shall be given to those identified to have mental health problems or conditions, especially those at risk of committing suicide.
The Commission on Higher Education and the public HEIs, through their Mental Health Offices, shall then initiate and sustain a heightened campaign to raise the collective consciousness about mental health.
It also proposes to mandate educational institutions to raise awareness on mental health issues, identify and provide support and services for individuals at risk, and facility access by developing necessary mechanisms to further empower educational institutions in promoting the mental health and wellness of students, faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff, and other personnel.
The awareness campaign shall give special emphasis to the issues of suicide prevention, stress handling, mental health and nutrition, and guidance and counseling. The campaign shall ensure that the whole HEI community is aware of in-campus mental health services.
According to a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute, 7.5 percent of Filipino youth had attempted suicide in 2021.
In addition, the study also reported that, between 2013 and 2021, “suicide ideation” among the Filipino youth more than doubled. Suicide ideation is a term used by the World Health Organization to describe “thoughts, wishes, preoccupations and contemplations with death and suicide.”
Meanwhile, the senator highlighted that former president Rodrigo Duterte has earlier signed Republic Act 11036 or the Philippine Mental Health Act, which establishes a national mental health policy directed towards improving the health of the population.
The law also underlines the right of all Filipinos to mental health care while shaping the structural and attitudinal challenges to achieving positive mental health.