Prevent suicides – connect, communicate, care

By The Nation

 

 

A FASTER PACE of life is among factors contributing to the rising rate of suicide among Thais, according to Dr Boonruang Triruangworawat, director-gen

 

He was commenting on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day today.

 

He cited a recent study that showed 53,000 Thais attempted suicide annually, averaging six people per hour – and 4,000 took their lives last year.

 

The loss o f life was blamed for economic losses estimated at over Bt400 million.

 

Dr Boonruang said the pace of life in Thailand, especially in urban areas, had become faster and many people had adopted a “quick-quick mentality” by which decisions must be made instantly and there’s no time to contemplate.

 

When pressure mounts, they tend to be overwhelmed by stress and are unable to recognise solutions to their problems.

 

Boonruang urged a collective social effort to prevent suicides – “connect, communicate and care”. 

 

It required the promotion of good relationships and communications among family members and a determination to take care of anyone who appears mentally or emotionally vulnerable.

 

He said the International Association for Suicide Prevention had sought the cooperation of Thailand and other member-countries to step up public awareness campaigns addressing the issue, both in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day and later.

 

Families, communities and societies everywhere must work together to prevent suicides, Boonruang said. Annually around the world, 800,000 people deliberately kill themselves, representing one suicide every 40 seconds, he said.

 

The World Health Organisation’s target is to reduce the number of suicides by at least 10 per cent by 2021.

 

Most Thais who commit suicide were single males of working age, Boonruang said. The youngest victim on record was 10 years old, the oldest 100.

 

The chief contributing factors are relationship issues, alcoholism and drugs, and socio-economic worries.

 

Dr Nuttakorn Chumpathong, head of the National Suicide Prevention Centre, said anyone could get help or advice at any time of the day or night by phoning 1323. 

 

There’s also a phone app called Sabaijai with which users can appraise their risk of committing suicide.

 

Nuttakorn listed nine “signals” that could indicate someone might be considering suicide. 

 

They are: talking about it on social media, self-imposed isolation, insomnia, chronic use of alcohol or drugs, depression, and suffering from chronic ailments.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30354067

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-10

 

The charity Samaritans is available around the clock for people who want to talk.

If you or anyone you know is in need of mental health services, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-713-6791 (English), 02713-6793 (Thai) or Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).

http://www.samaritansthai.com/news/samaritans-of-thailand-english-hotline/

Spending more money on helping people with mental health issues, instead of buying expensive submarines, would probably help lower the suicide rate, but little money seems to be spent in this respect.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Annually around the world, 800,000 people deliberately kill themselves, representing one suicide every 40 seconds, he said.

A sad indictment on us as a so called Humane Society.......Unfortunately the pace and style of life people now lead leaves hardly any time for the finer aspects, such as knowing your neighbour..

Oldest victim 100 years,incredible,but seriously as a sufferer of depression,but also a coward i have contemplated it,damn lucky i don't have a gun,did try gassing myself once,got very hot ,electric oven by jove,did not need to visit barber for sometime after though,hair singed off .

2 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Oldest victim 100 years,incredible,but seriously as a sufferer of depression,but also a coward i have contemplated it,damn lucky i don't have a gun,did try gassing myself once,got very hot ,electric oven by jove,did not need to visit barber for sometime after though,hair singed off .

Thanks for living up to the typical TV response standard for decency. 

2 minutes ago, Michael Stribling said:

Thanks for living up to the typical TV response standard for decency. 

Were you being sarcastic or did you sincerely mean that ?

Thai Suicides Inflamed By Urbanization, Social Stigmas

By Jintamas Saksornchai, Staff Reporter

 

Photo: Harshil Shah / Flickr

 

BANGKOK — A man was found dead in his car Monday morning in Bangkok days after a well-known model jumped to her death just across town in two more cases of suicide as a global call for increased awareness goes out.

 

Setthayus Apisatthapitak, 38, was spotted in a locked pickup truck with a burning coal stove parked in the Prawet district. His family told police that he had been distressed by a business downturn and debt problems. On Friday night, Kanyakorn Supakarnkacharoen, aka Kae Lederer, plunged from her Bangkok apartment after drinking weed killer. She died the next day; a friend said she had suffered from depression for many years.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/09/10/thai-suicides-inflamed-by-urbanization-social-stigmas/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-09-10

Best way to avoid suicide in Thailand is to not stand at the edge of the balcony after making your Thai partner the beneficiary of your will.

On 9/9/2018 at 2:10 PM, webfact said:

The loss of life was blamed for economic losses estimated at over Bt400 million

Yep, gotta always be thinking about how much money these damn sucides are costing the economy.

 

Typical for a country that only measures the value of humans (esp. tourists) based on how much cash can be milked out of them

Edited September 11, 20187 yr by Time Traveller

52 minutes ago, Time Traveller said:

Yep, gotta always be thinking about how much money these damn sucides are costing the economy.

 

Typical for a country that only measures the value of humans (esp. tourists) based on how much cash can be milked out of them

 

 

some advanced countries have very high suicide rates, japan for one.

On 9/9/2018 at 10:10 PM, webfact said:

FASTER PACE of life is among factors contributing to the rising rate of suicide among Thais, 

Best be starting on the roads as suicidal behaviour is practiced on a daily basis 'ere

2 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

Best be starting on the roads as suicidal behaviour is practiced on a daily basis 'ere

Ignorance is bliss. Yahoo!