Trigger Warning: Mention of Suicide
SORSOGON CITY, Sorsogon (PIA) -- Underprivileged children who need treatment for mental disorder can obtain immediate cash assistance from local governments and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Sorsogon City social welfare officer Ma. Zyra Bermillo said her office provides help to indigent youths with mental health needs through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).
“If an adolescent displays deviant behavior, we refer him to a psychiatrist or psychologist for professional support,” Bermillo said.
Additionally, the City Social Welfare and Development Office can offer medical assistance to the child if it is deemed necessary, she added.
Gladys Escote, the director of the Department of Health in Sorsogon, explains that some psychiatric illnesses may require lifelong medication therapy.
“At alam naman po natin na hindi mura ang gamot for maintenance (And we know that medicine for maintenance is not cheap),” she said.