The Department of Health reminded the public to be kind during the holiday season, as cases of depression leading to suicide tend to increase. Health Secretary Ted Herbosa noted that Christmas can trigger loneliness and suicidal thoughts due to factors like family separations and social media comparisons.
Despite Christmas being a time of merrymaking, it can trigger loneliness and suicidal thoughts for some, according to the Department of Health (DOH). The agency urged the public to be kind and sensitive to others' feelings to curb rising suicide cases linked to depression.
“There are those who are lonely during Christmas time. Their families are elsewhere, the father works abroad,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said. He explained that in the social media era, individuals see friends posting happy family moments, while their own parents work overseas or they cannot return home from city studies, intensifying isolation.
Those affected also include the jobless, people who lost homes to fires, and those grieving family losses. “Let’s all be kind to each other. Let’s all be sensitive to how others would feel. Be kind… (We should share) joy, happiness and peace,” Herbosa stated.
The DOH emphasized that mental health issues are as critical as firework-related injuries and non-communicable diseases it monitors. Herbosa suggested beginning to record mental health reports during holidays, as no such surveillance exists yet. — Mayen Jaymalin