Hotline for Depression and Suicide Prevention

The first ever 24/7 hotline for depression and suicide prevention is now available in the Philippines. You can call (+632) 804 – HOPE (4673), 0917 558 HOPE (4673), and 2919 (a toll free number for all GLOBE and TM subscribers) if you need help dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts.

Kristel Tejada

It was timely that I stumbled upon this info over Facebook because an old college friend had been messaging me about her personal issues lately. I’ve always known this person to be optimistic and jolly amidst problems and I trust that her fortitude will prevent anything similar to Kristel Tejada’s demise. Tejada is a recent talk of the town following her suicide supposedly due to tuition problems. She owed U.P. Manila about Php 10,000 worth of unpaid school loan and was forced to take a leave of absence after she failed to pay the fees.

Although it wasn’t the first time that Tejada was unable to pay, I believe that it isn’t right for any school system to compel students to go on an LOA for failure to pay fees. It is even a government school at that and not to mention that there was supposedly a tuition fee bracketing system depending on the income of each student’s families. Tejada should have been under the free tuition category considering the fact that her mother is unemployed, her father is a part-time taxi driver, and they were five siblings altogether. But none of these matters now as the 16 years old freshman Behavioral Science student was laid to rest yesterday after a week when she killed herself.

What’s sad is that there is still a way out of her situation. She wasn’t the only one to suffer from the flaws of our educational system, from poverty, and other issues in life. All these are bearable if there was enough guidance or if she had at least someone, anyone to talk to so she can find hope and eventually a resolution to her problems.

Natasha Goulbourn Foundation

So if there’s anyone out there facing dilemmas seemingly beyond what you can resolve, the hotline numbers above are available to call when in the Philippines. For more information, visit the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation or NGF online via www.ngf-hope.org.

NGF by the way was founded by Jean Goulbourn in memory of her daughter, whom she lost in 2002 due to suicide. NGF started in 2007 and aims to educate everyone about depression and its worst case scenario potential effect – suicide.

Depression and Suicide

Depression isn’t a mental illness but it affects a person’s mental well being. When you’re depressed (mental), everything is affected including emotional, physical, and social. You get emotionally affected easily, you tend to eat more or less, sleep late or sleep none at all, and you isolate yourself from everyone. It’s all in the mind most people say and you can battle being depressed with happy thoughts and actively doing something but that’s not always the case. Anti-depressants may seem to alleviate the symptoms but only to an extent and for a while. It’s not even ideal to periodically need these types of meds. Based on some studies, they can sometimes cause suicidal thoughts.

Love, Joy, Peace

There are things which are better than meds. Power words love, joy, and peace are the best. But they are not merely words, they are actions. All these are present in God, family, relatives, friends, and everyone else. You just need to realize that and take advantage of it. I know because I can relate.

Reach Out and Speak Out

Depression and thoughts of suicide can happen to anyone suffering from all too many issues in life all at the same time. So if you see signs of depression evident with someone you know, reach out before it’s too late.

I tried to chronicle my own ideas about depression in a blog last year in the hope of helping out. Too bad I wasn’t able to sustain posting on it regularly. But if you are dealing with anything beyond what you can bear, don’t keep it all within. Refer to the hotline for depression and suicide prevention numbers above once again and speak out.