Depression prevalent among

Pinoy children
 The Philippine Star

 30 Oct 2017

 By MAYEN JAYMALIN

Who says depression afflicts only adults?

Many Filipino children are now suffering from depression without their parents even
knowing, a mental health expert reported recently.
Medical Center Manila psychiatrist Tomas Bautista said even children can experience a life-
threatening mental condition like depression.
“Depression is very common even among children. It can be genetic and at (age) five,
children with depression manifest subtle deficiency in cognitive or in motor skills,” Bautista
disclosed.
Children can suffer from depression because of bullying and teasing. Depression symptoms
can emerge between the ages of five and 10, thus the need to intervene early, Bautista said.
“Children tend to magnify things and they can experience and develop depression,” Bautista
added.
Children should not be subjected to stress even in their studies because it can have long-term
effects.
Depression is also becoming prevalent among young adults or the so-called millennials.
“Millennials are very impulsive and they have this feeling of entitlement and instant
gratification because they got used to their parents providing this without them asking,”
Bautista pointed out.
Parents going overseas for employment, causing many children to grow up without parents
contribute to the growing prevalence of depression, according to Bautista.
Many people with depression, however, do not seek medical help due to the stigma
associated with mental disorder.
Thus, Bautista stressed the need to train teachers, parents and barangay workers in tracking
and helping persons with depression.
“Teachers and parents should be involved in picking up symptoms of children and other
people so appropriate help can be provided,” he said.
Depression is not just a simple feeling of sadness but is like other diseases that must be
treated by a professional doctor.
There is a disruption in the normal interaction of neuron in the brain of people with
depression, he said.
Since it is caused by certain chemicals in the brain, a patient needs to take medication aside
from ordinary talking therapy.
“There is a biological explanation for this disorder and there are different ways to get help,”
he said.
More than just a feeling of sadness, depression can be pathological and can last for a long
period or even a lifetime.
Bautista said there is a laboratory test or “biomarker for sadness” to help diagnose if a person
is suffering from depression that may eventually lead to psychosis.
Depression is 40 percent genetics and 60 percent triggered by the environment, he said.
“Stress can actually cause depression, so those with stressful jobs are at higher risk of
suffering from mental disorder,” Bautista said.
Early detection is important especially among children since the disorder is not yet
permanent.
“We have to catch it among the younger ones; the earlier, the better because the brain is still
changing and treatment will not be pharmacological,” Bautista said.
From 2005 to 2015, the Philippines recorded an 18.4-percent increase in incidence of
depression.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 300 million people
globally were experiencing depression as of 2015. The figure comprised 4.4 percent of the
world’s population.
“It is not a number one illness, but its impact and burden are significant, especially for the
families of those with depression,” he said.
The United States alone reported $1-trillion losses resulting from health care and absences at
work among patients with depression.
Depression is the single largest contributor to global disability and major contributor to
suicides.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 29 years globally. It accounted
for 1.5 percent of the total deaths worldwide.
Bautista stressed the need to raise awareness about depression considering that even educated
people don’t have a clear understanding of the medical condition.
Poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, losing a loved one, physical illness and drug abuse
increased the risks of a person to suffer from depression.
Incidence of depression is high among countries in Southeast Asia including the Philippines.
Over 85 million people in the region suffer from depression, accounting for 27 percent of the
prevalence worldwide.
“Incidence of depression is high in Southeast Asia because Asians are emotional. Shame and
humiliation are a big issue for Asians,” Bautista noted.
A healthy diet, lifestyle change, regular exercise, enough sleep, a balanced routine and
periodic relaxation ease symptoms of depression.
3.3 million Pinoys suffer from depression
Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) - August 29, 2019 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has one of the highest cases of

depression in Southeast Asia, affecting more than three million Filipinos, a
lawmaker in the House of Representatives said.

Rep. Rida Robes of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan revealed this in a privilege
speech last Tuesday evening as she lamented the rising rates of suicide
among the country’s youth.

She expressed alarm over depression becoming as prevalent as the common

cold in the country, affecting around 3.3 million Filipinos.

“It is recognized by our own Department of Health (DOH) as a serious health

condition, and the weight of haplessness, hopelessness and helplessness—
the three dreaded ‘H’ symptoms of depression—gravitate towards what now
are the new high-risk group: the young population,” she said.

Citing a 2017 World Health Organization report, Robes said eight in every
100,000 Filipinos commit suicide. Of this figure, six are males, while two are
females, aged 15 to 29 years old.

The same report showed that an average of 3,000 people worldwide take their
own lives every day, or a suicide case every 40 seconds.

Robes said the study attributed the increase in suicide cases to social media,
changing lifestyle and lack of family and community support, which led to a
convergence of “risk factors” like social disconnection and weakening of
“helpful factors” such as genuine relationships and healthy lifestyles.

“Many of them lack a sense of purpose in life and experience

disconnectedness and deteriorating relationships brought about by social
media and technology. At home, relationships or guidance may not be better
either, when parents would lack quality time with their children due to their
busy schedule or if when one or both of them work abroad,” the lawmaker
lamented. School life is also a source of high level stress, she added.

Robes has asked colleagues in Congress to pass a law that would restore the
study of values education as a stand-alone subject in basic and higher
educational curricula. Legislation on responsible social media usage among
young people should also be passed, she further stated.

Robes also vowed to move for the conduct of a congressional inquiry on the
construction and loading of senior high school curriculum, and probe into the
age-appropriateness of difficult subjects such as calculus, statistics and
research, as well as the exercise of its oversight powers over the
implementation of Republic Act 11036, also known as the Philippine Mental
Health Law.

She likewise called on the DOH to step up the implementation of RA 11036,

particularly the launching of strong and widely promoted anti-suicide helplines.

“The Department must also be prompted to implement community-based

mental health programs with the same vigor and determination it shows in
championing anti-AIDS, anti-dengue and anti-Japanese encephalitis
campaigns,” she appealed.

The lawmaker also urged religious institutions, civil society organizations and
private corporations to contribute their share in addressing these emergent
problems through counseling, stress debriefing, establishment of helplines for
young people.

Lastly, she suggested the relaxation of steep licensing requirements for

guidance counselors, to allow public schools to hire the required number of
guidance counselors to help students cope with mental health issues.