House passes its version of mental health bill on final reading

The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure that seeks to deliver an integrated mental health service to every Filipino needing psychological care.

With a vote of 223 in the affirmative, zero in the negative and zero abstentions, the chamber approved House Bill 6452, otherwise known as the proposed "Comprehensive Mental Health Act."

The measure aims to ensure that Filipinos are given the chance to live a better life as their mental health needs are assured to them as well as their overall physical and health needs.

If enacted into law, the bill will integrate mental health care in the general health delivery system, particularly in the programs of the Department of Health and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

At the same time, the bill promotes the study of mental health in elementary and secondary schools in order to help prevent depression, obesity and teenage pregnancy among students.

Aside from this, the bill assures the protection of the rights of persons with mental illness or are undergoing treatment for a mental illness, such as the right to freedom from social, economic and political discrimination and stigmatization.

The measure likewise provides that mental health professions will enjoy the right to have a safe supportive environment, join in continuous professional development programs and in the planning, development and management of health services.

The Akbayan party-list, represented by Tom Villarin, welcome the passage of the bill.

"This brings us a step closer towards tackling mental health issues not just as individuals, but as a society, given that social conditions significantly contribute to a person’s mental health and well-being," the party-list said in a statement.

"The bill has been passed by both chambers of Congress and will soon await the President’s signature. It will be in the hands of President Duterte whether Filipino families expecting a National Mental Health Law will have a happy holiday season," it added.

The Senate approved on third and final reading its version of the bill in May.

The bill, principally authored by Senator Risa Hontiveros, also mandates the government to put up basic mental health services at the community level and psychiatric, psychosocial and neurologic services in all regional, provincial and tertiary hospitals.

”Because of this measure, our people with mental health needs will no longer suffer silently in the dark. They will no longer endure an invisible illness and fight an invisible war," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros lauded the passage of the bill at the Lower House, saying that this development brings the country one step closer to implementing a policy that will respond to the mental health needs of the Filipinos.

"As sponsor of the counterpart bill in the Senate, I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in Congress in finalizing the bill and having it signed into law before the year ends as a wonderful Christmas gift to the Filipino people," she said.

"The burden of mental health illness is real. But so is hope. With the eventual passage of the Mental Health Bill, help is finally on its way," she added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2012 alone, there were 2,558 cases of Filipinos committing suicide, averaging to seven suicide cases daily.

The DOH has said that one in five Filipino adults have some form of mental illness, with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety topping the incidents of disorder. —NB, GMA News