A 26-year-old man, due to unrequited love, ended his life by jumping off from the fourth level parking of a mall. Two students also committed suicide by pressure and difficulty in learning school modules. A beautiful mother also did the same thing after delivering her baby.
All of those suicides happened in Davao region. This is quite alarming and something must be done to curb the incidents. Otherwise, more and more incidents will happen in the future. Past records have already given us disturbing information.
“In the year 2016, the Davao region accounts for having 54 suicide casualties growing up to 81 in 2017,” said a study that was published in the International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research two years ago.
“Under Police Regional Office 11, Davao City was recorded to have the greatest number of suicide casualties with 25 in the year 2016 to 38 last 2017. This is trailed by Davao del Norte with the suicide casualties of 3 in 2016 to 13 during 2017, followed by Davao del Sur with 9 in 2016 to 11 in 2017, Davao de Oro with suicide casualties of 8 to 9 around the same time and Davao Occidental with 5 to 8.”
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even intensified the problem. As the pandemic began and dragged on, more Filipinos committed suicide. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a 57% increase in the country’s suicide rate in 2020 compared in 2019.
In 2020, 4,420 people took their lives intentionally; in comparison, 2,810 deaths were recorded in 2019. The death toll made suicide made suicide the 25th leading cause in 2020 which was 31st place in 2019.
But some experts believe the figures are not realistic. “Certainly, the actual rate in the Philippines is probably higher, with many doctors agreeing not to report deaths as suicides because of the stigma. But even if we could get the true figure, it would probably still be relatively low,” Dr. Michael Tan wrote in his weekly column.
Close to 800,000 people around the world die each year due to suicide, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO). Suicide takes places as often as every 40 seconds, it points out.
“For every suicide, there are many more people who attempt suicide every year,” the United Nations health agency deplores.
Dr. Dinah Nadera, a psychologist of the University of the Philippines’ Open University told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that based on studies made on 300 cases from hospitals and police reports in 2008 and 2009, suicides happened between 8:01 in the morning and noon on weekdays, “when other people were not around in their homes.” Least suicides occurred between 12:01 and 4 a.m.
Another study showed that the methods of committing suicide in the country included shooting oneself, 40%; hanging, 30%; poisoning, 16.7%; and jumping from high places, 13.3%. In 73% of the reported cases, suicide was committed in their own homes.
“Suicide remains as one of the most pressing issues in the world,” the Department of Health contends. As such, it is tapping the media to help curtail suicide incidents in the country. In fact, it has issued Administrative Order No. 2022-0004 last March stipulating guidelines for the ethical and responsible reporting of suicide in the news and broadcast media as part of its efforts on suicide prevention.
“Media, as a powerful took means to transmit information and influence its audience, is seen as an effective tool by the WHO to responsibly report suicide, as current evidence shows there is an association between suicide content in the media and the risk of death by suicide,” the DOH said in a statement.
Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, DOH undersecretary, reiterated: “It is important that those at risk are not exposed to articles or movies that encourage or give instructions on suicide.”
Dr. Rajendra Yadav, acting WHO Representative to the Philippines, adds, “WHO acknowledges the crucial role traditional and new media play in preventing suicidal behaviors. We encourage media practitioners and content producers to focus on suicide prevention strategies and promote general mental health interventions instead of suicide events alone.”
Dr. Dinah Pacquing-Nadera in a paper, “Suicide in the Philippines: A Second Look at Rates and Ratios,” identified three major barriers to the development/implementation of national suicide prevention plan: 1) lack of factual data to cite magnitude of the problem, hence, lack of evidence to support need and fund for program; 2) competing interests within the health system where budget is limited; and 3) strong Catholic faith which frowns upon suicide discouraging families from reporting.
Experts urge everyone to save those who want to cut their lives. “Suicide is not inevitable for anyone,” states the suicidepreventionlifeline.org. “By starting the conversation, providing support, and directing help to those who need it, we can prevent suicides and save lives.”
Evidence shows that providing support services, talking about suicide, reducing access to means of self-harm, and following up with loved ones are just some of the actions people can all take to help others.
Curtailing suicide is not a job for health department only but for everyone. As WHO puts it: “Suicide is a complex issue and therefore suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labor, agriculture, business, justice, law, defense, politics, and the media.”
