Suicide: Not a solution

Yesterday, September 28, 2017, the most recent and local news hit Cebu. A successful suicide attempt of a 17-year old student of Asian College of Technology. Why a success? She tried once, twice, thrice and alas, she succeeded! And it came to me, long way has come for suicidal rates to rise and it has traveled into our minds and have successfully pull the strings off. It’s funny for others to laugh at this matter especially that they see it before their eyes but they’re blinded by the societal status that they’re keeping up for the public’s approval. What it has brought to everyone’s lives is killing us softly.

According to Dr. Violeta Bautista, a clinical psychologist and director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Office of Counseling and Guidance,

“Mental Health refers to a state of psycho-social well-being in which every individual realizes his/her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can be resilient in the face of extreme life events, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a positive contribution to his/her community.”

Suicide is a matter that we should not overlook. Globally, suicide is second among the leading cause of death. Close to 800,000 people, die due to suicide every year. For every suicide, many more people attempt suicide every year. A prior suicide attempt is the most important risk factor for suicide in the general population, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet, updated August 2017.

Why do people commit suicide in the first place? The thought of suicide most often occurs when a person feels they have run out of solutions to problems that seem inescapable, intolerably painful, and never-ending. [Sison, 2017]. That is why many have died each year and has given up because “there’s nothing left” for them. News in the internet, TV, and some other media, has been flooding. Recent killings all over the place, from wars, homicide, and worse of all, suicide, causing one self’s death.

Depression can have dire consequences if left untreated. If left untreated, depression can lead to suicide. Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is suffering from depression. Most times, depression will go untreated because the person does not think that there is anything seriously wrong with them. Despite the low rate of people who were diagnosed with depression, it still is a matter of prevention.