Do thais get depressed?

[daveAustin]

On 7/22/2022 at 7:06 PM, Mac Mickmanus said:

Thais don't seem to care about anything and thus don't get worried, concerned or depressed 

Maybe on the face of it but they are as susceptible to it as any person in any nation. Society and monetary system! 

[GammaGlobulin]

This is another good topic.

 

Why do you, the outside observer, find it difficult to tell if a Thai person, I mean a Thai person immersed in the Thai culture, might be showing signs of depression.

 

Let me answer this topical topic, topical, especially, during this period of the pandemic, a time of greater stress for everyone.

 

OK.

 

The real reason you find it difficult to know if a Thai person is depressed is this.

 

There is quite a bit of social stigma against showing negative feelings, such as depression.

 

This means that most people feel motivated to put on a happy face.

Even if you were to ask a Thai person if they might be "feeling down today", they will deny it, adamantly.

 

There is significant group pressure to NOT "bring the group down" by expressing negative thoughts or showing signs of a negative mood.

 

I would even go so far as to say that it is impolite to try to pry into someone's private space by asking the question, "You seem a bit down today.  May I talk with you about it?  Can I help you feel better just through providing you with an opportunity to express and discuss what might be making you feel down, today?"

 

Anytime you do this, as you take the approach of a westerner, you will never help the situation, as you might have intended with your good intentions.

 

Let this be a lesson to those who marry a woman here.

The western rules do not apply here in Thailand, in this case.

 

I have read so many accounts from TV writers who are fresh off the boat from a western country, and run up against this depression thing, in their significant Thai others, and still find it hard to understand the dynamics of what is happening.

 

I am not fresh off the boat.

 

And, although I am always celibate, yet, even I can understand this easily understood dynamic.

 

I am too busy to be a therapist for western guys with Thai GFs and wives.

Also, I could not deal with the daily drama.

 

Instead, I have chosen to just post these few words for your consideration.

 

Best of luck to you.

And, in my opinion, celibacy can't be beat.

 

 

 

  

[1FinickyOne]

On 7/22/2022 at 7:42 PM, DeaconJohn said:

Clinical care is out because she refuses to recognize she has a problem.

I don't know what to do except bear it as best I can.

There is no emoji that could capture my feelings. I can vividly understand your concerns and pain. What I am seeing as I get older and the world becomes more dystopian, sometimes, there are no good answers. 

 

I hope this passes. 

[Sparktrader]

On 7/27/2022 at 12:11 PM, Thujone said:

Living in Pattaya, it's rare to see a cheerful Thai.

(Unless they're pulling a fast one.)

But then it's rare to see a cheerful whitey either..

Mme Thujone and myself are quite cheerful.

Maybe we should write a book, and sell it online.

'Reasons To Be Cheerful in Pattaya, part 93.'

Pattaya is a dive imo

 

But most of the world is. Life is overrated.

[1FinickyOne]

On 7/24/2022 at 3:54 PM, Sparktrader said:

Why would a non depressed person do it?

serious painful illness. 

[GammaGlobulin]

When some people, some who have posted above, speak of depression as being a severe and palpable pain, and when others might not understand this as being real pain:

 

Then.

 

The people who cannot understand this concept of depression being equal to physical pain, should enlighten their understanding by taking at least a one-semester course from the likes of Sapolsky at Stanford.

 

Here is the link to Sapolsky's short intro to his ideas about this subject:

 

 

You might even want to enroll at Stanford to learn more.

 

The thing is, when you say something like.... "I understand what you are feeling", then, you do not, unless you are experiencing it, yourself.

 

Sapolsky is not somebody who has not also suffered from anxiety and depression.  At least, this is what I have read.

 

Anyway, this lecture is a good intro to the "feeling" of depression, and the impact of these feelings, if only you might listen.

 

It ups to you, as they say in Pattaya.

 

Or, maybe you think a massage might be more helpful to you or somebody you know, compared to this lecture???

 

I think not. 

 

Everybody wants to know how to rid themselves, or someone they know, from depression.
And, just understanding depression is the best that one can do now.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

[Iamfalang]

Almost always it's Thai women, in my opinion, who will let you know.   I've known about five or six who were VERY depressed, but functional.   Teachers and business owners.   Always down, negative, no real emotion, defeatist....and they have tried pills and other stuff.

 

Guys aren't going to tell you, maybe hint at depression, but not come out and tell you.

 

I've noticed a lot of cutters here........women who cut their arms repeatedly.    

 

it's also a culture thing to FAKE laugh all the time.   that can't be healthy. 

 

but a real laugh, usually by a kid, is great.   But when I hear the fake ones, I wonder if they are really falling apart inside.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

One more word about psychoactive drugs used to manage depression.

These drugs, unfortunately, are useless.

 

Why?

 

a.  It seems that "patients" habituate easily to these drugs.

b.  There is no real understanding of how these drugs work.

c.  There are serious side effects to this type of drug therapy which can exacerbate depression and negatively impact the patient's overall wellbeing.

d.  In many cases, the cause of depression is due to environmental factors.

e.  Above all, the mechanisms of psychoactive drugs is poorly understood.

 

And therefore, I would say that the Thai way is better than the western medicine way, which is to say the Asian way is still the best. This way includes family support, as well as other traditional strategies.

 

Or, just get drugged up?

 

No way.

 

Family support is far better.