THE Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday expressed alarm over the rise of self-harm cases in the Philippines.
The statement comes after the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported 111 self-harm incidents from Jan. 1 to March 23, compared to 33 in the same period last year — a 236 percent increase.
The NCRPO further noted that the majority of the incidents stemmed from emotional distress, relationship issues, personal loss and financial pressure.
DOH spokesman Albert Domingo told The Manila Times that the National Center for Mental Health’s (NCMH) crisis hotline is ready to serve Filipinos in need of immediate mental health consultation.
“The DOH is concerned with the rise in cases of self-harm recorded by the PNP-NCRPO. We hope to remind our kababayan that we have a 24/7 NCMH Crisis Hotline ready to help with emotional distress and other urgent mental health conditions: 1553 or 1800-1888-1553; 09190571553 and 09178998727,” Domingo said.
The DOH reminded the public that they are not alone, saying, “We can walk this journey together.”
The NCRPO said it is intensifying efforts to improve early detection and response by deploying police units in coordination with village leaders and schools.
“NCRPO is strengthening real-time and community-based interventions under the Enhanced Managing Police Operations framework,” it said. ALLEN LIMOS
