Graphics: Marie Faro / INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Persons with disabilities (PWD) who need treatment for mental health conditions can receive free maintenance medicine from Quezon City government.
The Quezon City government posted a public service announcement on Facebook on Monday instructing PWDs to go to their nearest health center with their doctor’s prescription.
According to the local government, the following prescription medicines are available for residents:
- Clozapine 100 mg tablets
- Biperiden 2 mg tablets
- Chlorpromazine 100 mg tablets
- Lithium Carbonate 450 mg tablets
- Sertraline 50 mg tablets
- Escitalophram Oxalate 10 mg tablets
- Quetiapine 200 mg tablets
- Valproic acid tablets
Prescription medicines such as Clozapine and Sertraline can treat schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Should residents need mental health consultations, the city government said that the Quezon City General Hospital Psychiatry Department is open for online consultations, adding that physical prescriptions and medical certificates cost P40.
This effort came after the COVID-19 pandemic sparked various mental health concerns in the country, with the National Center for Mental Health citing an uptick in deaths due to self-harm in 2020 and an increase of received mental health and suicide hotline calls in 2021.