Suicide cases have increased fivefold in the capital town of Virac this year compared to 2021, worrying officials of the municipal government that the trend could continue if appropriate steps are not taken.
The Catanduanes Police Provincial Office disclosed to the Tribune that for 2022, a total of 16 suicide incidents in the island province as of Dec. 22, with Virac accounting for 10 of the cases.
The other six cases of people killing themselves came from Viga with two and Bagamanoc, Caramoran, Pandan and San Andres with one each.
What made Mayor Samuel Laynes apprehensive was that during the previous three years, there was a total of only four suicides, two each in 2019 and 2021.
Among the 11 towns, there were only seven suicides in 2019, eight in 2020 and nine in 2021, with the 16 cases in 2022 nearly doubling the previous year’s tally.
To provide another comparison, the suicide tally for 2022 is nearly three times the death toll left by super typhoon Rolly when it ravaged the southern part of the island on Nov. 1, 2020.
The same CATPPO records showed in the past four years, Virac has had 14 suicides, followed by Viga and San Andres with five each, San Miguel with four, Caramoran with three, Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato and Pandan with two each, Gigmoto with one and Panganiban with zero case.
In Virac, the spate of self-inflicted deaths began with the Jan. 15 murder-suicide incident in Hawan Ilaya where a 25-year-old police officer shot dead his wife and infant son before killing himself.
Two more men aged 29 and 18 hanged themselves in Calatagan Proper and Francia in the next two weeks before a Francia woman, 25, also did the same on Feb. 4 in Palnab del Sur.
In March, a 26-year-old man in San Roque also died from self-inflicted asphyxia, with the next case recorded nearly two months later in May, a Palnab del Norte man, 20, who also hanged himself.
Another 20-year-old man from Valencia followed suit in July, a Sogod Tibgao resident, 40, also taking his own life in August, and a 39-year-old male from Sto. Cristo who did the same in October.
The last incident in the CATPPO database was a 24-year-old man from Igang who also, like majority of the incidents, hanged himself last Dec. 10 in an abandoned house.
According to unconfirmed reports, the man was sent home a few years ago from Metro Manila after a rape case was allegedly filed against him. He lived with relatives since then, rarely left the house and was not visited by his parents who stayed in the metropolis.
Except for the police officer, the other 15 suicide cases in the police record were single and all died by hanging.
Last Dec. 14, a 50-year-old jobless, married man reportedly hanged himself in Capilihan but the police has yet to report the same as a suicide.
A member of the family allegedly claimed the victim did not have a reason to kill himself as he helped his wife in her livelihood of selling “kakanin” and other food items.
There is no available information on whether any of the 16 victims reported by the police are among persons with psychiatric illnesses recorded by the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
In 2015, then Gov. Araceli Wong made a commitment to establish psychiatric care units in four government-run district hospitals to cater to about 300 Catandunganons suffering from mental health disorders.
In a report to the Department of Health (DOH) at the time, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Hazel Palmes said the acute psychiatric units will be based at the Caramoran Municipal Hospital, Juan M. Alberto Memorial District Hospital in San Andres, Gigmoto District Hospital, Bato Maternity and Children’s Hospital.
The Mental Health Gap Action Programme (MHGAP) of the World Health Organization listed bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, depression, dementia, developmental disorders — including autism and intellectual disabilities — as among the most common mental health problems
They are generally characterized by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions, emotions, behavior and relationships with others.
Under the proposed psychiatric unit project, the provincial government, through the PHO, will organize community-based mental health teams which shall hold lectures to provide information to the public on how to manage mental health problems at home.
Each team, composed of locally trained doctors and other medical personnel, will continuously conduct regular visits to monitor patients and provide maintenance medicines.
This will enable the teams to solve the problem of accommodating patients in the hospital without compromising their mental health needs.
Acute cases will be confined at the designated hospital, Palmes said.
There is no confirmation if the acute psych units were indeed established in 2016 as planned.
A 2017 study on mental health status in the province conducted by Catanduanes State University researchers Dr. Lily Custodio, Dr. Jocelyn Jordan and Dr. Lilibeth Tubalinal showed that there were 349 diagnosed cases of psychiatric illnesses at the time.
The key findings in the study published in the Philippine E-Journals indicate that majority of mental illness started at any age except in early childhood; more male individuals are predominantly affected by mental illness than females; and single individuals are mostly affected.
Of the total cases, the most prevalent was schizophrenia with 171 (49%), followed by psychosis with 47 (13%). The others were affective disorder (11%), bipolar disorder (9%), depression (8%), mental retardation (4%), anxiety disorder and autism.
Among the problems encountered in the implementation of the Mental Health program were access to mental health services, delivery of those services, overburdened health workers, inadequate manpower, and low salary of devolved health workers.
The authors recommended the crafting of an action plan aimed at improvement of access and accountability for mental health services; promotion of mental health screening, assessment and referral services; improvement of information system for accurate recording and reporting; expansion of case finding; and expansion of coverage of mental health services until the rehabilitation phase.
They moved for the establishment of a provincial crisis hot line to encourage referral and consultation, and the development of a psychosocial support program that will help facilitate mental illness rehabilitation for social inclusion in later years after treatment and therapy.
FREE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
- Philippine General Hospital
Services: Free Psychiatric Consultation and Counseling
Contact Number/s: (02) 554-8400 loc 2436 or 2440(02) 554-88470, (02) 526-0150, and (02) 554-8469
Address: Taft Avenue Ermita, Brgy. 670 Zone 72, Manila,
Book an appointment: https://pghopd.up.edu.ph/
2. National Center for Mental Health | NCMH Crisis Hotline
Services: 24/7 Free Basic Counseling, Psychological First Aid, at Suicide Prevention. Free Online Psychiatric Sessions, Free Psychosocial Support
Contact Number/s: (02) 79898727 or 09178998727
NCMH Hotline: 1553 Nationwide landline-toll free
Smart/SUN/TNT (0908-639-2672); Globe/TM (0966-351-4518)
Online contacts: Email: crisishotline@ncmh.gov.ph
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ncmhcrisishotline
Book an appointment:
Website: https://ncmh.gov.ph/#e-konsultasyon
E-konsultasyon program link: bit.ly/ncmhkonsulta
Mental Health First Responder
Services: 24/7 Free emotional support/ peer support through video call.
Online Contacts:
Website: https://www.mhfirstresponse.org/
Email: telehealth@mhfirstresponse.org
Book an appointment: Contact them online
All Rural Health Units in the province of Catanduanes have their own Mental Health Programs, with the PHO’s Dr. Gibson Gabitan providing services to the San Andres and Gigmoto RHUs.