Thailand Faces Mental Health Crisis as Millions Affected

[webfact]

 

Nearly 10 million individuals in Thailand are grappling with mental health issues, according to recent data from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). Startling figures released in their first-quarter report indicate that almost 11% of the population is at risk of suicide, and around 16% experience regular stress.

 

Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the NESDC, highlighted the severity of the situation, stating that mental health has become a critical concern for the nation. The continuous rise in psychiatric patients, from 1.3 million in 2015 to 2.9 million in 2023, underscores the escalating crisis.

 

“Despite Thailand officially having 2.9 million patients who received medical treatment last year, the actual number of those with mental health issues may reach as many as 10 million, as many people don’t seek treatment,” Danucha explained. This disparity suggests a significant proportion of the population remains untreated, exacerbating the crisis beyond the global average.

 

Between October 2023 and April 2024, the Department of Mental Health found that 15.5% of people with mental health problems experienced high-stress levels, 17.2% were at risk of depression, and 10.6% were at risk of suicide.

 

These figures have worsened over previous years, indicating escalating mental health challenges with significant economic impacts.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that depression and anxiety contribute to the loss of about 12 billion workdays globally, resulting in an economic loss exceeding US$1 trillion (36 trillion baht).

 

Nearly one in five individuals with mental health issues are unable to care for themselves, creating an additional burden on families and human resources. Alarmingly, less than a quarter of high-risk psychiatric patients receive adequate care.

 

The NESDC attributes the increased rates of depression and anxiety to rising economic and social pressures. In 2023, these mental health issues surpassed methamphetamine and other substance abuses as the predominant mental health concerns.

 

Danucha cited the alarming suicide rate of 7.94 per 100,000 people, nearing the peak of the 1997 Tom Yum Kung crisis. 

 

Echoing these concerns, recent research suggests that factors such as air pollution are further exacerbating mental health issues.

 

A study in the UK revealed a 20% increase in depression among young people due to air pollution, while research from Mahidol University found that seven in ten people in Bangkok experience burnout at work.

 

Picture courtesy: Insurance Business

 

-- 2024-05-29

 

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[edwinchester]

Thai mother in law has petty serious mental health issues. Depression and schizophrenia amongst them. All the care she seems to receive is a trip into hospital every few months to get another bag of prescription drugs. In the over 20 years wifey and I have been married the MIL has never had any counseling for her problems.

[nobodysfriend]

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

Nearly 10 million individuals in Thailand are grappling with mental health issues,

 

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Despite Thailand officially having 2.9 million patients who received medical treatment last year, the actual number of those with mental health issues may reach as many as 10 million,

 

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Nearly one in five individuals with mental health issues are unable to care for themselves

 

Start checking the mental health of some politicians , or wanna be politicians first ...

There is at least one who clearly expresses symptoms of a dementia in it's early stages ...

 

[HappyExpat57]

With the number of outlandish attacks for seemingly minor issues on the rise, I imagine these numbers are conservative.

[JoePai]

Are similar numbers in other countries or is this a Thai 'problem' ?

[McTavish]

2 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Are similar numbers in other countries or is this a Thai 'problem' ?

Any country with high meth, Ice, ya-ba type drug abuse will see an increase in mental health issues.

 

Note: If the known figure is 3 million why are the guessing at 10 million, where's the data?

[Geoffggi]

Very difficult to respond truthfully to this post 🙄😷😷😷 ..............LOL

[anterian]

If my village is anything to go by, the most affected seem to be young males and older women. 

[daveAustin]

Expect it’s always been high but more people are coming forward as it’s not as stigmatised as it was. Having said that, post-2020 has been particularly SH1,T for a lot of people. 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

With the number of outlandish attacks for seemingly minor issues on the rise, I imagine these numbers are conservative.

One could conservatively say 50% have issues and the other 50% are on the verge.

[john donson]

1 in 6 thai is a nutter, that makes totally sense now

 

normally the colder the country, the less crime

 

but colder european countries were flooded by muslims and now crime rate is much higher

[The Theory]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Nearly 10 million individuals in Thailand are grappling with mental health issues

10m only ?!!! 🤔
Hard to believe 🤪

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

With the number of outlandish attacks for seemingly minor issues on the rise, I imagine these numbers are conservative.

 

I agree. But I think much of it is down to poor education and lack of parental guidance and an inability to express themself in any way other than with violence. There also appears to be an alarming degree of intolerance, with everything either black or white and no opposing view accepted. That is cultural, rather than down to mental issues. Add in the saving face nonsense, which often results in even more loss of face with a jail sentence.

[dinsdale]

Hey wait! I thought it was the marijuana. Thing is 1 in 5 will suffer from some sort of mental health issues. 

[save the frogs]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Nearly 10 million individuals in Thailand are grappling with mental health issues

how can you prove that?

 

[Chris Daley]

Must be hard laying flat on your back drinking beers and playing on the phone.  How do Thais manage it?

[0ffshore360]

Is this a belated or new recognition of social issues regarding  mental health ?

Interestingly similar publicized information is similtaneously being published/promoted  in Indonesia.

Is this a recent confirmation of some side issue  related  to ???

[spidermike007]

My guess is that a high percent of these problems are among Gen Z folks. I consider them the weakest and softest generation in history. 

[MarkBR]

Extreme heat & high levels of pm2.5s seem to be major contributors to mental health problems apart from the increased rate of heart attacks & strokes (plenty in the scientific literature if you use Google to find recent papers on the medical effects).  So it might mean that reduction in pm2.5s by using efficient air purifiers could be an effective solution for mental health management.  Obviously, the best solution would be tackling the sources of pm2.5s, but there seems to be major political difficulties in effectively tackling this issue.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

My guess is that a high percent of these problems are among Gen Z folks. I consider them the weakest and softest generation in history. 

 

Also, they're embracing Western attitudes, but they don't have the resources that Western people have.

 

They're pulling away from family and community, but they don't have the financial safety net that Western countries do.

 

There was a video about young Thais not having babies shared here, and it seems like a big part of that is that they want to have a big house all to themselves and two nice new cars, then they don't have enough money for kids.  They're abandoning the idea of the multigenerational house, with the free childcare and housekeeping that that comes with, but there isn't the same level of financial assistance in terms of retirement, so they're shooting themselves in the foot.

 

Things are probably going to keep getting worse.  You can't change your lifestyle before the system exists for your new lifestyle to function.

[rickudon]

M-in-L has dementia, grandnephew has ADHS, nephew is mentally and physically diabled 100%