STATEMENT OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE SUDDEN SPIKES OF MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AS DISCLOSED BY DEPED
February 01, 2023

As the author of the Mental Health Law, I am heartbroken at these staggering numbers 5 years after the passage of the law.

The mental health crisis is a continuing concern among our students, and has been escalating because of the COVID-19 pandemic. DepEd and the DOH should proactively implement the provisions of the Mental Health Law. Since the law's passage in 2018, we have been calling on various government agencies to accelerate the integration of mental health and care services in our educational systems and institutions.

The slow-pace of implementation has high costs, as we've seen in these latest statistics.

DepEd should address the shortage in mental health personnel by hiring more guidance counsellors and allowing existing guidance counsellors to have bigger catchment areas where their care is needed the most.

I also hope that DepEd and DOH would be able to come up with comprehensive preventive and protection strategies to address suicide: from identifying and supporting people at risk, building protective learning environments, equipping students with coping and problem-solving skills, and ensuring availability and accessibility of safer suicide care services and delivery.