APAYAO PROVINCE TO ADDRESS RISING MENTAL HEALTH-RELATED CASES

November 30, 2024 Provincial

LUNA, Apayao

The Provincial Health Office of Apayao is training 29 peer facilitators who will help address mental health cases in
the province. Governor Elias Bulut Jr., in a private message, said the training of the facilitators is part of the program to provide accessible mental health care services for residents in order to restrain and resolve early indications of suicidal thoughts and other mental health issues. “The Provincial Health Office believes that with readily available peer facilitators who can be contacted anytime, anybody who is suffering from mental health problems can be
helped with the hope of preventing the possibility of hurting themselves,” he said.

The provincial health office initiated the formation of a peer facilitators group as a response to the alarming cases of mental health conditions in the province. PHO record shows that Apayao recorded 17 suicide-related deaths in the first semester of 2024. In 2023, there were 21 suicide-related deaths in the province. The PHO, in partnership with the Provincial Department of Health Office (PDOHO), recognizes the important role of Peer Support Groups in
providing safe spaces for youth to share experiences, receive guidance, and foster resilience where persons who are in need of someone to talk to can reach somebody.

The team of facilitators is composed of select personnel from the PHO and the municipal health offices who underwent three days training that will prepare them to become peer facilitators who will be members of the peer support group in the different municipalities to ensure effective interventions, particularly for students in need.

(Liza Agoot/PNA)