ANOTHER young man has taken his life. As the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said, it was because he was not allowed to graduate after being initially listed as among those who were to graduate this month.
The statement by NUSP said a Mechanical Engineering student in Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University (DHVTSU) committed suicide after learning that he will not be able to graduate this year because the student received "no grade" in 15-20 units of his semester's load.
And this is where we have to remove the propaganda and leftist statements and face what happened -- depression.
No, it's not as the NUSP describes it as a "case (that) clearly reflects the fascist nature of our education system."
Nor is it that "schools have turned into pressure cookers that severely punish students who do not live up to foreign-backed standards and curriculum."
This is all about depression.
We have been students once and we know the pressure of being a student. But we also know the greater pressure of being graduates and building an enterprise or getting employed. We also know that receiving "no grade: in 15-20 units of his semester's load is not something that happens overnight. A semester load of 15-20 is more than half of a full load and can even be a full load as engineering courses usually have between 17-25 units per semester.
It was a case of depression that has been creeping up unnoticed and unattended and should not be allowed to be taken out of its context and be buried in propaganda designed to politicize issues.
Depression is a serious mental ailment that demands attention and treatment.
As the website of the American Psychiatric Association states: Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include - Feeling sad or having a depressed mood; Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed; Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting; Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much; Loss of energy or increased fatigue; Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others); Feeling worthless or guilty; Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions; and, Thoughts of death or suicide.
"Symptoms must last at least two weeks for a diagnosis of depression," it says.
We do not even know the history of the young man. But that is what makes depression fatal. It often goes unnoticed and many times brushed off, before we realize it, a life has been snuffed out.
Let this case be a call to all of us, students, parents, school administrators and teachers, friends, neighbors, and bystanders to reach out and see and know the people around us. Let us not let anyone make us believe that this is a "case (that) clearly reflects the fascist nature of our education system." If anything, this is a case that clearly reflects how depression is most often misunderstand and ignored.
Since many of us are on Facebook, then check this out if you know of anyone or are undergoing sadness that lingers: https://www.facebook.com/safety/wellbeing/suicideprevention
Bottomline: Reach out, seek help. Whether it be for yourself or for someone you know.