BGH: 112 attempted suicide cases in Baguio in 10 months

BAGUIO CITY  – Some one hundred twelve attempted suicide cases were recorded by the Psychiatry Department of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) from October last year to August this year showing an alarming increase in the number of reported suicide cases in the city.

Dr. Genna Hipolito, Medical Officer V of the BGHMC Psychiatry Department, said most of those who attempted to commit suicide because of depression were adults as 76 of those who attempted to commit suicide belonged to the 19 to 44 age bracket.

She added 26 patients in this category were 13 to 18 years old, while  9 attempted suicide cases fall within the 45 to 49 age bracket and one suicide case was a 60-year old individual.

“Suicide and depression are public health concerns that is why we must work together to solve an impending social problem in the city. We are doing our best to help address the needs of those depressed individuals to prevent them from taking their lives via different modes,”Hipolito stressed.

The BGHMC official revealed ingestion of multiple drugs, pesticides, insecticides, among others, was the most common suicide method with 69 patients,  followed by incision with 23 cases, 4 cases of hanging, 2 cases of stabbing and 1 case of jumping.

According to her, the 112 attempted suicide cases recorded for a 10-month period will now serve as the hospital’s baseline data as BGHMC previous records were reportedly scattered and in disarray making it difficult for them to establish earlier baseline figures for attempted suicide cases.

Hipolito explained those who attempted to commit suicide have a high risk of committing the same act in the future, thus, appropriate interventions are being done to guide the said individuals in dealing with their issues in the best possible way to prevent acts that would result in loss of lives.

The medical officer claimed the hospital was not able to record who among the attempted suicide victims eventually died or the number of deaths as a result of suicide although their department will consider maintaining such records to serve as their basis for formulating appropriate policies to prevent people from unnecessarily taking their lives.

She said there are numerous reasons that lead to depression that when aggravated by mental illness, there will be a big possibility that the affected individuals will commit suicide using various forms, thus, the need for those with mental illness to immediately seek early consultations with the nearest hospital for proper diagnosis to prevent their situation from further escalating that may lead to suicide.

Hipolito appealed to the public to consult with psychiatrists to get  the appropriate diagnosis for mental health issues to prevent them from being depressed and subsequently committing suicide. -- Dexter A. See