DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) Regional Director Dr. Adriano Suba-an on Tuesday, August 25, reported a total of 102 suicide cases in Northern Mindanao from January to August 24.
Suba-an said these suicide cases may or may not be related to the pandemic, however, he added that restricting a person's movement can affect the person's psychological and social well-being.
There has been limitations or restrictions in the movement of people since the outbreak of coronavirus disease in the country. People who do not belong under the category of Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) are advised to stay at home. Social distancing should also be practiced by everyone.
"There's limitation of movements and restrictions, and that has an impact to the mental well-being of the person. We also limit the social part kasi we would like to protect them from getting Covid-19," Suba-an said.
"But we should not also forget the mental well-being, the social well-being of a person," he added.
The DOH regional director said they are looking into the comparison of the number of suicide cases from the previous years to determine whether the cases increased or not.
The health department is also closely monitoring the mental health of the people in Northern Mindanao, Suba-an added.
He further said that the emergency operation center of DOH-Northern Mindanao has dedicated a number of cellphones with assigned persons available 24/7 to provide counseling.