Suicide cases in Cagayan de Oro shoot up

CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor Jocelyn Rodriguez sounded the alarm over the increasing cases of suicide in the city involving young people.

Rodriguez showed a data from the Philippine Mental Health Association-Cagayan de Oro that from January to September 2019, 24 cases of suicide have already been recorded.

She said Cagayan de Oro's suicide rate at 3.6 suicides per 100,000 population is higher than the national rate at 3.2 suicides per 100,000 population a year.

One out of four suicides are also committed by young people, below 18 years old.

Data showed 33 percent within the 20-29 age range and 21 percent from 30-39 age range commit suicide.

The data also showed 92 percent of people committing suicide are male.

"This means only one thing, Cagayan de Oro's mental health condition is one of the serious problems especially for young people, so it is really incumbent upon us to pass legislation to combat mental health disorders," Rodriguez said.

"We have to formulate ordinance to monitor and improve the human rights conditions in mental health facilities, promote adequate health care to maximize positive outcomes for people with mental illness," she added.

Rodriguez said the city should adopt a similar ordinance passed in Quezon City called Community-Based Mental Health Program, which aims to promote a shift from a hospital-based system to a strengthened community-based mental health care delivery system; reorient and modernize existing health facilities; and integrate mental health care into the general health care delivery system, among others.

The councilor said a community level physical and mental exam should be readily available in barangays.

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