RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Mental disorders contribute substantial burden to the society due to their widespread occurrence and debilitating effects. A quarter of the world's population are children and adolescents, a significant number of whom experience mental disorders as early as the age of 14. Some interventions have been found to effectively reduce the risk factors and reinforce protective or preventive factors. However, there is still a need to put emphasis on mental health promotion strategies such as religious education. This paper aims to discuss the importance of religious education in promoting mental health. DISCUSSION: Religious education can be instrumental to improving adolescent mental health. Specifically, it can: (1) help develop healthier reaction to stimuli through the internalization of religious morality; (2) reinforce religious coping mechanisms which reduce the impact of stresses, enhance coping skills, and promote a less risky lifestyle; (3) increase awareness regarding religious beliefs and practices and their influence on the individual, the family, and the community; and finally, (4) promote connectedness which can enhance self-esteem and well-being. However, negative health outcomes such as discrimination and social isolation can also develop, especially among religious or gender minority groups. CONCLUSION: It is important to reflect on the crucial role of religious education on adolescent mental health. School-based mental health education and promotion strategies can maximize the benefits of religious education by putting emphasis on effective implementation of religious education to positively influence adolescent mental health.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Globally, suicide is a significant cause of death among adolescents. Previous studies conducted in high-income countries suggest that students in alternative schools are more likely to engage in suicidal behaviors than those in formal schools. This study aimed to document suicidal ideation and behaviors among adolescent learners enrolled in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) in Manila, Philippines. METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted in 24 ALS centers in the city of Manila. ALS centers were stratified according to congressional district and selected using probability proportionate sampling. A cross-sectional survey to determine attitudes towards suicide and prevalence of suicidal ideation and behaviors was administered to 171 learners aged 13 to 17 years old. In-depth interviews with 18 teachers and 12 learners were conducted to explore the school psychosocial environment's role on learners' suicidal ideation and behaviors. Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract attitude factors. Fisher's exact test and Student's t-test were used to identify differences in sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes towards suicide between learners with or without suicidal ideation or behaviors. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Non-specific active thoughts were the most common type of lifetime suicidal ideation (40.9%) while passive ideation was the most common in the past month (13.5%). Aborted suicide attempt was the most frequent behavior in both lifetime (16.4%) and in the past month (4.7%). Non-fatal suicide attempt in the past month was 2.3%, reaching 12.9% for the entire lifetime. Age, sex, education, and attitudes towards suicide were significantly associated with suicidal ideation or behavior. Thematic analysis showed five themes: (1) fostering belongingness, (2) securing learners' safety, (3) teaching philosophy, (4) teacher and learner beliefs towards suicidal behavior, and (5) availability of school-offered and community-based services. CONCLUSION: Suicidal ideation and behaviors are prevalent among adolescent ALS learners. This study also showed a significant difference in attitudes towards suicide and sociodemographic characteristics between learners with and without suicidal ideation behaviors. It also suggests that the school psychosocial environment, through social norms and learner-teacher interactions, can potentially prevent progression of suicidal ideation to behavior, influence help-seeking, and promote mental health among learners.
RESUMEN
To examine the quality of life (QoL) and clinical outcomes for Asian schizophrenic outpatients treated with olanzapine or haloperidol. Patients were randomized to 24-weeks' treatment with either olanzapine (n = 144) or haloperidol (n = 132) in a double-blind, prospective, multi-country study. The QLS and WHO-BREF were assessed for QoL; the PANSS, BPRS and CGI scales for clinical status; the BAS, AIMS and SAS scales for physical dysfunction. Regardless of antipsychotic, QoL improved significantly at 8 weeks and maintained this improvement at 24 weeks. Compared with haloperidol, olanzapine treatment was associated with significantly better QoL in the WHO-BREF physical and social relationship domains, better improvements in extrapyramidal symptoms in BAS and SAS scores, as well as lower incidence of adverse events. Patients taking haloperidol were more likely to be co-prescribed anticholinergics. The comparatively superior side-effect profile and tolerability of olanzapine may have contributed to enhance domain-specific QoL for these Asian outpatients.
