Thread: Escalating mental health concerns in Thailand

Mental health problems in Thailand are on the rise while the number of people seeking treatment increased from 1.3 million in 2015 to 2.9 million in 2023, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).


The number of Thai people suffering from mental health issues is reportedly reaching 10 million, which exceeds the global average, indicating that there are still many people who have not received treatment.


Based on data from the Mental Health Department, collected between October 1, 2023 and April 22, 2024, the NESDC notes a concerning trend.


Approximately 15.48% of Thailand’s population reported experiencing stress, 17.20% exhibit signs of depression, and 10.63% percent were at risk of suicidal ideation. These figures indicate a deteriorating situation over recent years.


Mental health problems not only impact individuals, they also have broader economic implications. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), depression and anxiety lead to an annual loss of 12 billion working days globally, resulting in an estimated economic loss of US$1 trillion.


Nearly one in five people with mental health issues are unable to care for themselves, placing strain on households that must provide their caretakers, resulting in a loss of human resources.


Moreover, fewer than one in four people with a serious mental illness associated with a high risk of violence receive adequate care and monitoring.


Economic and societal pressures contribute to depressive and anxiety disorders among Thai people. In the 2023 fiscal year, the proportion of people with such disorders was notably high, exceeding the number of people with mental illnesses caused by drug abuse.


The suicide rate in the same year, 7.94 per 100,000 population, approached levels last seen during the Tom Yum Kung financial crisis, when it reached 8.59 per 100,000 population.


Environmental factors also play a significant role in mental health. Thailand is facing issues such as PM2.5 air pollution, which ranks among the highest globally, and must remain vigilant in addressing these environmental concerns.

Escalating mental health concerns in Thailand - Thai PBS World

I thought they were talking about TeakDoor

Well, when over 85% of the occupational workforce earn the same paltry wages while their masters exploit their militarily enforced economic dictatorship excluding the entire peasant class from democratic freedoms, what else did they expect.

It isn’t fucking Disneyland except for the barons that run this ghastly country.

So ghastly, but yet here you are…still.

Originally Posted by DrWilly

So ghastly, but yet here you are…still.

It's my home, monkey boy, but at least it’s not a heathen muslim ghetto where you metaphorically swing through the trees daily.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

It's my home, monkey boy, but at least it’s not a heathen muslim ghetto.

Thats the second time today you’ve posted that faux pas. Suggest you ease up on your word salads, you’re contracting yourself.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

It's my home

So the duck program is out then, Can we confirm? Clearly you hate where you live but have no intentions of leaving because I bet in the big picture, with all that you whinge about, Thailand is better than moving back to a council flat in the UK.

Being that's the case, I suggest you shut the hell up and enjoy the last few years of your life with a smile in your face in your Wongamat condo with your wing guy. Your constant whinging changes absolutely nothing. You seem to struggle to understand that.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Were you a fat little boy Stumpy?

Watch a lot of cartoons did we?

Never mind, nature is quite wonderful, isn’t it. You may well have been unhampered by much intelligence and perspicacity but you have at least been compensated by the gift of a manual dexterity even if its application is somewhat limited to those activities associated with physical labour.

Where would we be without simpleton seppos, eh Stumpy?

Incidentally, who is this ‘wing guy ‘ to whom you refer?

Naaaah SA.. I was a skinny averaged height blond hair blue eyed surfer from California. I am educated and have had a very nice career. So I laugh a bit when you call me a simpleton as I see you as a wound up, trapped, miserable old guy who likely made poor decisions all his life. I suspect you were one of the constant whinging asshats I used to see in corporate. Everybody hated being around them. Sat in a cubicle all day complaining about everything and how everyone is stupid of course never once thinking the systemic issue was themselves. They were always on the short list when Layoffs came but some times they survived because they were low paid and the BS was tolerated. That's a brutal career and hence why I think you are an old miserable fuk blaming everything that is wrong on everybody else. How am I doing? What a way to live out the last segment of life.

My simple life, as you call it, is how its supposed to be when you retire and relax. Do what you want, have fun, laugh, smile and enjoy good liquor with friends, travel. Simpleton....Yep and I love it. Now get back to bitching and crying, Its all you know....

Stumpy, you’re like a rerun of one of those ghastly cliche ridden US soaps that were all the rage thirty years ago; predictable, tiresome and so drearily mundane.

You’re so appallingly smug you’ll suffocate yourself.

Originally Posted by Stumpy

My simple life, as you call it, is how its supposed to be when you retire and relax. Do what you want, have fun, laugh, smile and enjoy good liquor with friends, travel. Simpleton....Yep and I love it. Now get back to bitching and crying, Its all you know....

I agree, you make life too hectic and involve too many people, meh, enjoy mental issues.

Originally Posted by Bonecollector

As for mental health sickness, I cannot help but think social media and all the problems it brings with it, is a big culprit.

Agree 100% and this isn't exclusive to Thailand. Its an issue in virtually every country. Its entrenched now and never going to change or stop. Its nearly impossible for parents to manage it with their children. Too many media formats and means to access it. So people are pressured by one upmanship, the look at me crowd, the crazy shorts now on Facebook. Facebook really piloted it all forward with Instagram. Now you have Tik Tok. Honestly its a serious mess and as a society we should expect more mental health issues and suicides. I couldn't imagine raising my daughters in this era.

Originally Posted by Bonecollector

You expect Thailand to change overnight; you expect too much. Just keeping Thailand out of the hands of the Sino-Thai elites is good enough in my opinion. The Thai military and Thai royal family is the one thing stopping them from taking over completely. Checks and balances, its all about checks and balances, and, keeping provincial clans in Thailand content. Some of the provincial Sino-Thai's clans/ jeks are still wary of how much they can push their agenda without ethnic backlash. All of the native ethnic groups chatter amongst themselves with regards to the Sino-Thai.
.

Er, the Thai-Chinks own all the banks, lead the civil service and all the ministries, own and manage all the blue chip companies and are the cadres leading the armed forces and police.

The Thai are serfs and constitute most of the occupational workforce.

Clearly, you are away with pixies.

Originally Posted by Bonecollector

As for mental health sickness, I cannot help but think social media and all the problems it brings with it, is a big culprit. The youth of today are having to live through a pretty horrendous period of human social evolution. Thai's, just like all humans, still have an innate monkey see monkey do trait. When monkey cannot do what other monkeys do on social media or does in a way that destroys said monkeys financial status, this is where you have problems. Hence, Thailand's massive personal financial debt, mostly amongst 20-40's. Who is giving out all this credit? who owns most of the banking system?

Hence also, the burning, often barely-suppressed resentment towards foreigners who are seen as having it all. I have noticed this resentment in quite a few Thai people. One of my acquaintances once said, just out of the blue, "they all hate us, you know".

Originally Posted by Stumpy

Agree 100% and this isn't exclusive to Thailand. It’s an issue in virtually every country. It’s entrenched now and never going to change or stop. It’s nearly impossible for parents to manage it with their children. Too many media formats and means to access it. So people are pressured by one upmanship, the look at me crowd, the crazy shorts now on Facebook. Facebook really piloted it all forward with Instagram. Now you have Tik Tok. Honestly it’s a serious mess and as a society we should expect more mental health issues and suicides. I couldn't imagine raising my daughters in this era.

Total bollox, as ever.

Over 30 million here earn less than 12,000-15,000 baht monthly with no hope of changing that in the foreseeable future. They are no more than slaves. Slaves tend not to be the most chipper of folk. That’s the thing when you have no savings and spend a lifetime on minimum wage always in fear of losing a bothy, your farm, your car and not being able to afford any luxuries peddled by the Thai Chink owned media, you get fucking depressed.

It ain’t TikTok, you septic twat.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Er, the Thai-Chinks own all the banks, lead the civil service and all the ministries, own and manage all the blue chip companies and are the cadres leading the armed forces and police.

The Thai are serfs and constitute most of the occupational workforce.

Clearly, you are away with pixies.

Ya, ok

^^ That's okay....the sister will just work in bar as a 'cashier' and send money home.