JESSIE MAE APLAON / DSSC INTERN
THE PHILIPPINE Honorable Queen, an organization that empowers women, aims to address mental health problems to curb suicide incidents among youth.
Organization founder Marilou Tolico expressed alarm at the increasing cases of suicide caused by mental health problems as she said, “We really have to do something about this.”
Among Filipino children aged 5 to 15, about 15% are said to be affected by mental health problems. Meanwhile, 16.8% of youth aged 13-17 have attempted to commit suicide.
Citing 2015-2019 data, the Philippine Statistics Authority said men are four times more likely to kill themselves compared to women.
In Davao City, the Philippine Mental Health Association noted 55 suicide cases in 2022, with men making up 9 in 10 incidents, and another 26 cases from January to April 2023.
However, this is not an insular problem as the World Health Organization estimated that more than 700,000 individuals end their lives each year.
Tolico aims to encourage different organizations to educate young minds and present programs that will bring out actions toward the issue.
She said the Philippine Honorable Queen will collaborate with Davao City schools to help students overcome mental health challenges and boost their emotional intelligence.
