| 08.28.2019 – When there is ‘No Hope’ but there is a “Quitline” help services supported by DOH (Department Of Health) that is mainly tasked to assist with those individuals having difficulty in quitting smoking.
Surprisingly this was heavily advertised in local commutes like in the LRT (Light Rail Transit). If you’re aware recently the Philippine Government’s DOH stop its support for Suicide Helpline as news came out in the Philippine Star. In other countries that are aware of Mental Health, there should be a Helpline, but for a country that still trying to catch up with the rest of the world, they simply not sold about Mental Health. |
While on the train I’ve seen these advertisements that started to appear in daily commutes regarding “Quitline” which is backed by the DOH. It’s a service for those who want to quit smoking. It’s practically something of a step down from supporting a Suicide Helpline that is VERY MUCH NEEDED in this Country.
Unfortunately, there’s no clear reason why DOH decided to stop supporting the Suicide Helpline in favor of this. There are key factors why this service is not going to help smokers quit the habit as here are some reasons why smokers are not that easy to assist with “Quitline” as there are reasons why they deal with this vice.
People Dealing with Anxiety, Stress, and Depression is the reason some take up smoking. Without a Suicide Helpline that deals more about Mental Health, this “Quitline” is limited on what it can do.
They can’t quit smoking because their current Mental Health is in crisis and that is one reason why they decided to take up the vice. To alleviate their anxiety some decided to take a pack of cigar and smoke.
Don’t you think the reason why they are smoking is not because of their “vice“it must be something else to make them relax and it must be connected to their State of Mind for the reason they have this addiction to calm them and where’s that Mental Health Help Services? Can “Quitline” address this?
Lastly, the Suicide Helpline not just deal with people wanting to take their life due to depression it may also need to deal with their addiction not just smoking but also being an alcoholic. “Quitline” could probably be limited to this area and it seems like DOH certainly took a step back in dealing all the necessary issues that they think a “Quitline” would be better suited to this concern.
At the end of the day, this does not make sense that the DOH has decided to go through this route. In other developing countries Mental Health is one of the priorities to make sure everyone is well not only physically but mentally and why Suicide prevention Hotlines like this is needed in the country.
Unfortunately, without explanation, this shows what kind of Government the Philippines is and they are ‘Not Sold” on addressing the major issues concerning Mental Health” for the reason most have tried other means to deal with and one of them is smoking or becoming an alcoholic.
The Australian Government was Forward Thinking that it poured its support to Beyond Blue and other agencies that deal with Mental Health early this year. The Philippines, of course, went the other way and for the reason, this country is obviously has dug itself deep in the trenches with this kind of ‘Back Up’ Plan.
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