Suicide on the rise in Thailand as stress from Covid and the economy increases

[Natai Beach]

39 minutes ago, The Theory said:

I guess the reason that are not much in news, because government don't want some others find it as a final solution (or trendy among those with problems) to their pain. 

Interesting Theory.

 

But the government does not control the press. There is no order from the government to not report on suicide.
 

The OP is a report on suicide from Spring News. 
If you google the Thai word for suicide การฆ่าตัวตาย, you will find other news reports from yesterday, two days ago, last week etc etc. 

 

It is in the news a lot lately. Similar to the OP.

[joecoolfrog]

I know the unemployed Thais got 3,000 baht for several months early last year , have they had anything else since then ?

[teacherclaire]

8 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I can say that the stress level here in Hua Hin is starting to show in the locals. Street venders are now competing with out of work hotel staff and others selling food for a few baht. I had someone ask me if I know how to make a sandwich and if I would show them so they can sell on the streets. 

 

I have long time friends (not that type of long time) asking if I will give them 100 baht for food for their babies. 

 

A Thai lady friend who owned a bar and was smart enough to sell right at the beginning of covid is sitting all day on the street selling pork sticks. 

 

My friends look tired and distracted and I think it is sinking in that here is another year to go.      

Do you think that all will have changed in one year? Those who lost their business and all they had to loan sharks trying to keep it running until it was too late will only be in deeper shi_e as they already are.

 

It's a sad situation. 

 

 A study by the World Health Organization based on 2016 data listed Thailand as having the 32nd highest annual suicide rate in the world, with 14.4 suicides for every 100,000 population, equivalent to 10,000 deaths by suicide per year.

 

   https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/thailand-the-coronavirus-suicides/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jack Hna]

It is a barrage type of news here in thailand though and the word covid 19 is just repeated and repeated. I'm typing away today and the Mrs is relaxing with son on sofa and watching mono29 and then the news just appears and starts barraging us from both barrels.

 

[teacherclaire]

1 hour ago, Natai Beach said:

Interesting Theory.

 

But the government does not control the press. There is no order from the government to not report on suicide.
 

The OP is a report on suicide from Spring News. 
If you google the Thai word for suicide การฆ่าตัวตาย, you will find other news reports from yesterday, two days ago, last week etc etc. 

 

It is in the news a lot lately. Similar to the OP.

But the government does not control the press. There is no order from the government to not report on suicide.

 

     The government has a lot of employees who spy on all sorts of Internet activities. Do you really believe that we get the real numbers?

 

   

[Natai Beach]

6 minutes ago, teacherclaire said:

But the government does not control the press. There is no order from the government to not report on suicide.

 

     The government has a lot of employees who spy on all sorts of Internet activities. Do you really believe that we get the real numbers?

 

   

The press in Thailand is often politically affiliated. The red shirt, orange shirt and even the yellow shirt press is not going to cover up lies for the “green”shirts. They spent half their time and energy discrediting them. Sort of like having 4 Fox News channels. Unashamedly biased.
 

No way. If you are claiming that you must not have any idea how the press works here and who controls which outlets. Ask your wife .

[SupermarineS6B]

11 hours ago, starky said:

And another one and another one. This idea of locking ourselves away and everything will be great is fallcious. Eventually governments will have to give up and let people be exposed to it. The mortality rate is minimal, lockdowns clearly don't work and the vaccine is no silver bullet.

Said it ages ago, open the doors and take your chances, or it's starvation and suicide......    99.7%  Survival rate !  I'll have those odds, i've never usually had anything but 50-50 most of my life......    A good night out in Sukhumvit has more chance of knocking you off ........ Open up and suck it up !   Or we're all gonna die under our beds crying for our mammies...... 

[SupermarineS6B]

"Don't dwell on the bad news from social media - limit yourself to that just a couple of times a day"

 

Sorted that problem out already....... the tele went years ago...... along with the Mrs......    

[kiwikeith]

17 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I can say that the stress level here in Hua Hin is starting to show in the locals. Street venders are now competing with out of work hotel staff and others selling food for a few baht. I had someone ask me if I know how to make a sandwich and if I would show them so they can sell on the streets. 

 

I have long time friends (not that type of long time) asking if I will give them 100 baht for food for their babies. 

 

A Thai lady friend who owned a bar and was smart enough to sell right at the beginning of covid is sitting all day on the street selling pork sticks. 

 

My friends look tired and distracted and I think it is sinking in that here is another year to go.      

The suicide rate is not caused by covid itself.

The depression and poverty is caused by the lack of tourists who feed street vendors, guest houses, taxis ect. This is the after effect from covid 

New Zealand seems almost normal at present, there has been financial bail outs to businesses. 

 

These are not needed now.

Thailand can't afford this but they should be looking at ways to support small businesses and those who are struggling to pay mortgages ect. 

 

Instead their solution is to build a cassino, import Myanmar workers, sorry, smuggle in slaves and risk the whole economy and lives of Thailand and it's people for the wealthy fish mongers. 

Great news we may approve casinos, then we can totally break down Thai society and import vaccinated gamblers from China to make up for our losses from the pandemic. 

[Chriss77]

https://www.bitchute.com/video/WDAw9u6AO58X/

 

For anyone who is interested.

Dr discusses the misinformation that we all probably suspect, and the available treatment in the form of Hydroxychloroquin, that is strangely being made difficult to get.

Hope it works on here as I'm computer illiterate ????

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I can say that the stress level here in Hua Hin is starting to show in the locals. Street venders are now competing with out of work hotel staff and others selling food for a few baht. I had someone ask me if I know how to make a sandwich and if I would show them so they can sell on the streets. 

 

I have long time friends (not that type of long time) asking if I will give them 100 baht for food for their babies. 

 

A Thai lady friend who owned a bar and was smart enough to sell right at the beginning of covid is sitting all day on the street selling pork sticks. 

 

My friends look tired and distracted and I think it is sinking in that here is another year to go.      

Same here in my neck of the woods, locals who originally had an already tough time making daily money are now competing with extra people on the streets... there is definitely tension between the newcomers and original sellers. Everyone has a right to make a living but saturation point will become boiling point.

 

[Don Chance]

Suicide maybe more prevalent in Hindu and Buddhist countries because they believe in reincarnation. Why not just kill yourself you will just come back anyways?

[peter zwart]

14 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Suicide, ok you do it yourself, but you were forced by the system you live in. Technically murder then?

Your wife divorces you and you kill your self, murder? You get fired for some reason and you kill yourself, murder? 

Sometimes you get out of those worries and sometimes its enough.

You came to this world and no one asked you if you wanted it.

So ending your life is , i think , a right to do so. 

Amazingly though how it works.

There are so many people, they "live" , have nothing and dont step out and otherwise people who have it all and just step out.  

All depending when the brain pops and say its enough.

And the main stream media is a big help

[10baht]

Talk about social services and BS stats. Google " the happiest countries in the world" then Google the suicide rates for the 2 happiest countries Finland and Denmark.  They are more than double this little dysfunctional country suicide rate. Go figure!

[soalbundy]

I don't understand this, it appears to be a problem for cities only. I live in a farming village in Isan and nothing seems to have changed much. At first (last week) everybody in the village masked up, lasted for two days. Isan is regarded as the poorest region in Thailand, the harvest is in, the price is rock bottom but nobody is complaining. My missus has been ordering boxes and boxes of disposable masks (The school children have to wear them as so do we when we go to Tescos etc.) she sells them around the village, she can't order enough for the demand, in addition she sells expensive skin cream for women, she doesn't even have to travel around to do this a regular stream of farmers wives turn up at my house on their motorbikes. No lockdown, normal social interaction, certainly no sign of depression.

[Airalee]

The pro lockdown folks are conspicuously absent on threads such as these.

[mtls2005]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

Around 4,000 are successful, that is 6-6.5 per 100,000 of the population. 

 

 

Mid-year figure was ~ 2,500, so this year's run-rate is quite a bit higher.

 

22 hours ago, webfact said:

Main reasons for suicide are to do with relationships, drinking and drug issues, chronic pain and mental illness and economic issues.

 

Not sure if these are listed in any relevant order?

 

The ratio of Male:Female in suicide seems distinctive? Quite high at ~ 4:1.

 

 

 

 

[redwood1]

If suicides are way up then why are the number of farang jumpers way down...

[johnarth]

when people can not afford petrol for the motorcycle is when the real trouble will start, government needs to look at city bus touts to run free buses in the near future

[starky]

17 hours ago, Natai Beach said:

A lot of the people who live in Natai Beach worked in Phuket and are now doing a similar thing. A new chicken sticks opened today near my house,  and a van driver I know a coffee shop last week. Many others have sprung up over the last few months. 
 

I go out of my way to support as many of them as I can, (if they are reasonably hygienic) and buy extras for friends. I try to spread myself around, going to as many as I can. Buying less food from Tesco Lotus who will survive and more from these people battling away.

 

Cheap for me but it can make a small difference to them. Plus I like their attitude, they are having a go, so I give them a go. 

Love your attitude Natai! You bring a lot of common sense and reason to every thread. If a few more had your attitude a lot of people would be a lot better off. Kudos ????

[EricTh]

Do the higher up in the Thai government ever read this type of news? Their incompetence and increasing difficult requirements for foreigners are worsening the economy.

[SupermarineS6B]

13 hours ago, redwood1 said:

If suicides are way up then why are the number of farang jumpers way down...

Because there's not that many farangs left in Thailand........

[Fex Bluse]

Gents, regarding lockdowns, several of you are missing the point. The very reason the mortality rates are so low in many countries is because very sick people could get care because hospitals were not overrun. 

 

Also, while mortality is low, there are studies revealing that some percentage of people who got the virus and recovered may have long-term risks (brain, lung, etc.).

 

Lockdowns were indeed necessary until we had vaccines. We are finally there, but it will still take some time. 

 

As for the situation in Thailand, shame the country has such incapable leaders. All of this was easily predicted. Thailand could have worked hard on a variety of backup plans to help displaced people in key industries like tourism. But, they didn't. And, now it's too late for many. 

[lovethai123]

First look, i thought this cute looking tomboy has committed suicide, then i know he is probably a man, a real real somchai, and has some degree from some college and is working in some hospital, well good for him/her.

 

Another things is, didnt the thais wish all the time the foreigners are taking over and they shudnt be here. I am no face reader but i felt this at many instances. now when foreigners r not coming, u cant manage ur country and ur people are dying.

 

what is the use of all that money then? print some money, distribute, let the baht fall to a decent level. this will help tourism in 2022 or later

[Fex Bluse]

3 hours ago, lovethai123 said:

First look, i thought this cute looking tomboy has committed suicide, then i know he is probably a man, a real real somchai, and has some degree from some college and is working in some hospital, well good for him/her.

 

Another things is, didnt the thais wish all the time the foreigners are taking over and they shudnt be here. I am no face reader but i felt this at many instances. now when foreigners r not coming, u cant manage ur country and ur people are dying.

 

what is the use of all that money then? print some money, distribute, let the baht fall to a decent level. this will help tourism in 2022 or later

It's an arrogant place. The country hates to admit how reliant it still on foreign tourism after many decades. 

 

The Sino class, generally, is especially disenchanted with any perceived reliance on Westerners. Many would much rather replace every white face with one from Mainland China. Many still have family in China.. 

 

This is not true for all, but in my experience, most I've talked to. 

[BangkokReady]

On 1/18/2021 at 12:16 PM, ezzra said:

having to witness the economic calamity and the restrictions of freedom and movements, while all the while unable to go back home to their respective country and thus caught between the a rock and a hard place

While also being treated as though you have covid simply because you are Western and being discriminated against, mistreated, denied services, etc.

[BangkokReady]

On 1/19/2021 at 10:48 AM, redwood1 said:

If suicides are way up then why are the number of farang jumpers way down...

Presumably whatever is currently happening has a negative correlation with foreigners wishing to commit suicide in Thailand.