PRESIDENT FERDINAND Marcos, Jr. has vowed to hire more counselors in public schools to protect students’ mental health against bullying and address the rising cases of depression among the youth.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, Marcos said his administration is looking after the mental health of students as he expressed concern over the rising number of bullying and depression cases.
“Many students are experiencing bullying or depression. We are protecting the youth’s mental health. We will add more school counselors to serve as their consultants and guides,” he said.
According to a Cambridge University Press study, depression among Filipino youth has more than doubled from 2013 until 2021. The study found that moderate to severe depressive symptoms of Filipinos from the ages 15 to 24 years old rose to 20.9 percent in 2021 from 9.6 percent in 2013. F
