Baguio city: The Department of Health in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) is enhancing the institutionalization of disaster risk reduction and management in the health sector. In an interview on Friday, DOH-CAR Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan emphasized the need for government agencies to bolster Mental Health Councils and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) teams within local government units. This move aims to ensure quicker and more coordinated responses during emergencies and disasters.

According to Philippines News Agency, these MHPSS teams are tasked with providing psychosocial and mental health interventions to victims of calamities during and after disasters. Dr. Pangilinan noted that the recent 4.4 magnitude earthquake in Pugo, La Union, saw numerous individuals hospitalized due to anxiety attacks. Initial diagnoses among these individuals included neurocirculatory asthenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, vasovagal syncope, and various psychological and physical stress responses.

Dr. Pangilinan explained that trauma, in the context of the earthquake, pertains to exposure to actual or threatened death or serious injury, either through direct experience or witnessing the event as it happened to others. She further clarified that panic attacks, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, are characterized by a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes.

To improve service delivery during disasters, the DOH-CAR continues to conduct capability-building initiatives, including MHPSS training for both health and non-health professionals.