By Dr. Rex Casiple
The stages of youth development are generally from childhood to adolescence. This critical period of transition can lead to various mental health challenges and can be associated with increased risk for suicide among the youth or students. Extreme vulnerability to depression and emotional breakdowns are most of the reasons why youths or students committed suicide.
Records showed that in the province of Iloilo, around 79 suicide cases happened from January to September 2020. Many who committed suicide were youths under mental stress, mental disorder, or depression.
On June 16, 2020, a 19-year-old high school student in Albay province hanged himself inside a small hut after worrying his family would not be able to afford electronic equipment required for him to study online in this time of pandemic. The boy belongs to a low-income family who cannot afford to buy items like tablets and smartphones needed to study online.
On August 18, a 21-year old boy from Albay took his life after his mother told him to temporarily take a break from school and not enroll due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of money to support his online schooling.
On September 11, a 21-year-old female from Iriga City was found by her parents lifeless in the middle of the night. The parents were aware of their daughter’s struggle with her gadget, signal and internet connection.
On October 6, a 21-year-old college student from Bohol was found by his father lifeless with nylon tied around his neck. The police report stated that the victim went home on October 5 after attending an online class. The parents of the victim said that before taking his own life, the victim asked for a laptop for his online class which they couldn’t afford to buy and needed time to look for money.
On October 21, a 19-year old Grade 10 student in San Joaquin, Iloilo committed suicide by hanging himself inside the hut meters away from their house. The mother said that the teenage boy was encountering lots of problems including difficulties in answering his modules. He has no electronic equipment like cellphones to use for research.
A distraught 16-year-old Grade 11 student in South Cotabato has committed suicide by hanging inside their house. According to a report on local radio, the student told his mother that he was having difficulty studying the learning materials. He also wanted to just return the learning materials to his teacher.
Parents, guardians, family members, friends, teachers, school administrators, and many others can play a role in preventing suicide among our depressed students. To prevent this suicide incident to happen to our youths or students, direct social interaction and regular bonding time within the family members are important to divert their attention from study pressures in this time of pandemic. Proper psycho-social activities should be provided to them to ensure sound mental and emotional conditions as we adapt to the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools and other authorities in education should provide psychiatric assistance to students that could fall as victims to anxiety and depression due to the “sudden and major shift” in academic learning. Many students in public schools belong to poor families. School administrators and teachers should not intimidate students enrolled in these schools with requirements such as having computers or tablets at home.
In the United States, youth curriculum on interactive classroom-based suicide prevention program is taught to students. The curriculum features information on reducing stigma towards mental disorders and help-seeking behavior; recognizing warning signs of depression and suicide; and seeking help for yourself or a friend in crisis.
(To be continued)
