zorro1 Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Spysee you have met many friends as it sounds like you and the missus might be intersesting and generally society is more acceptable of a well educated married couple and a Thai missus will help open doors with the natives, less of a threat than the middle aged stranger and lets face it if not for the bar scene and hookers there would be 5% of farang left in BKK and NONE left in Pattaya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 To the OP.... Think based on these postings, think you have a good insight into the mental health of a few expats in Thailand....out of their fukcing trees... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 To the OP....Think based on these postings, think you have a good insight into the mental health of a few expats in Thailand....out of their fukcing trees... You've heard what they say about people in glass houses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macb Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Think this Topic is in the wrong section : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 To the OP....Think based on these postings, think you have a good insight into the mental health of a few expats in Thailand....out of their fukcing trees... You've heard what they say about people in glass houses What ??....they sweat a lot ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 ^Ohh wilber....sum muthers do have em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myauq Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Well I can see how people could be sad here. I find Bangkok to be the loneliest place on earth. Hard for most of you to imagine I know. If you don't like hookers and would like to make real friends it is a very sad place. The level of racism and negativity towards falangs makes it hard to meet and befriend people, the ones that are interested in befriending you land up becoming a liability and/or want money. The answer I guess is to meet Thai people that don't need money but then that goes back to the racism issue which is very real, most of them dont want to be friends with a falang. If you want to make friends with other falangs you need to be careful as it seems like everyone that lives here has some sort of psychological issue or they themselves are scared to make friends with other falangs as they think the same thing about you. I assume men that sit around pubs drinking all day and then sleeping with hookers all get along fine together but if that is not your cup of tea it is hard to find people you can relate to of any nationality in this city. I totally agree with the above.. It's virtually impossible to have a meaningful 'friendship' with Thais.. Our ways are not their ways and WILL NEVER BE.. ..hence the retreat of most farangs to small , hard-drinking cliques and woe to anyone who is left outside.. I have been here for 8 years and I have no Thai(male) friends.. My only 'friend' is the Mrs...but that's a different ball game. I second also that we are deeply hated by the Thai male.. You can bleet all you want(...no it's not trueee etc...) So there (Slightly off topic but what the heck..) Pretty much spot on. It think the term 'Thai male' is an oxymoron or should I say a buffalotwit - you won't find what you are looking for there. Thailand is a place where you must learn to like your own company and the rest is icing on the cake. i would have to agree with the above statements. as a farang male i have tried very often to make and maintain friendships with thais - both male and female, but it has been extremely difficult. i have made one thai friend, but no matter how much i put into the relationship i still don't see it as a proper friendship. my gf is from myanmar, and she senses much more hostility from thai women. the stuff ordinary people say to her (and me at times) is asounding, but it nearly always comes from women. men seem to be a bit more tolerant when it comes to burmese people (the exception being the bib, of course). however, i have to say that she has made a few really fantastic issan friends from her time in bkk too. on the expat side of things. it's been virtually impossible finding people to have decent conversations with here in the land of fake smiles. many have been here too long, and have developed the corrupt mind-set, and settle for anything when it comes to work and relationships. the other thing with expats is they tend to judge you from their own narrow perspectives. skills, education, ability and acheivements mean nothing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petesear Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 As an SAS trained fireman(retired) I have little trouble making friends in whichever bar I decide to frequent. All the ladies adore me and I rarely go home alone, also I am often commended on my good looks. My western friends, who I spend many hours in wise and meaningful conversations with, all tend to be ex military too, and are all great blokes. I'm not one to flaunt my wealth so I choose to live a pretty low key lifestyle here, but really I'm very rich and have many properties back home... But to be honest I do worry about some of the other TV members and their mental health.... From some the obvious fabrications you can read here it is sad to think that they are away from their families and Doctors.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLaughingMan Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Well I can see how people could be sad here. I find Bangkok to be the loneliest place on earth. Hard for most of you to imagine I know. If you don't like hookers and would like to make real friends it is a very sad place. The level of racism and negativity towards falangs makes it hard to meet and befriend people, the ones that are interested in befriending you land up becoming a liability and/or want money. The answer I guess is to meet Thai people that don't need money but then that goes back to the racism issue which is very real, most of them dont want to be friends with a falang. If you want to make friends with other falangs you need to be careful as it seems like everyone that lives here has some sort of psychological issue or they themselves are scared to make friends with other falangs as they think the same thing about you. I assume men that sit around pubs drinking all day and then sleeping with hookers all get along fine together but if that is not your cup of tea it is hard to find people you can relate to of any nationality in this city. lol, are you serious? I live in Bangkok and married to a Thai lady. I met her at Uni in farang land and have met great friends in Bangkok, maybe its just you, with the posts you have made and this post right here. I think its you who doesnt like Thai people and is the racist one. Ouch. You have deep meaningful relationships with Thai friends? Truly? Well good for you, I'm very jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaccha Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 As an SAS trained fireman(retired) I have little trouble making friends in whichever bar I decide to frequent. All the ladies adore me and I rarely go home alone, also I am often commended on my good looks. My western friends, who I spend many hours in wise and meaningful conversations with, all tend to be ex military too, and are all great blokes. I'm not one to flaunt my wealth so I choose to live a pretty low key lifestyle here, but really I'm very rich and have many properties back home... But to be honest I do worry about some of the other TV members and their mental health.... From some the obvious fabrications you can read here it is sad to think that they are away from their families and Doctors.... Your post requires a Derrida-style double reading. But in the meantime I will divide it into two parts: But to be honest I do worry about some of the other TV members and their mental health.... From some the obvious fabrications you can read here it is sad to think that they are away from their families and Doctors.... Right. Exactly. As an SAS trained fireman(retired) I have little trouble making friends in whichever bar I decide to frequent. All the ladies adore me and I rarely go home alone, also I am often commended on my good looks. My western friends, who I spend many hours in wise and meaningful conversations with, all tend to be ex military too, and are all great blokes. I'm not one to flaunt my wealth so I choose to live a pretty low key lifestyle here, but really I'm very rich and have many properties back home... I can remember my Grandad's stories of fighting in the SAS in World War II, but I don't recall mentioning about his training fireman... Are you inductively reasoning they adore you owing to their tendency to refer to your handsomeness and "where you go". I fear you are being played. I should imagine with all the money you have gained as an SAS fireman it must be difficult to keep all your money in your wallet. In contrast, my old classmate is now the 82nd wealthiest person in the UK. I didn't know it until he was published in a Rich List. $2. 8 billion dollars, and there he was wearing worn out sandals. Real wealth is the ability to spend it and then choose not to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanook2me Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Well I can see how people could be sad here. I find Bangkok to be the loneliest place on earth. Hard for most of you to imagine I know. If you don't like hookers and would like to make real friends it is a very sad place. The level of racism and negativity towards falangs makes it hard to meet and befriend people, the ones that are interested in befriending you land up becoming a liability and/or want money. The answer I guess is to meet Thai people that don't need money but then that goes back to the racism issue which is very real, most of them dont want to be friends with a falang. If you want to make friends with other falangs you need to be careful as it seems like everyone that lives here has some sort of psychological issue or they themselves are scared to make friends with other falangs as they think the same thing about you. I assume men that sit around pubs drinking all day and then sleeping with hookers all get along fine together but if that is not your cup of tea it is hard to find people you can relate to of any nationality in this city. lol, are you serious? I live in Bangkok and married to a Thai lady. I met her at Uni in farang land and have met great friends in Bangkok, maybe its just you, with the posts you have made and this post right here. I think its you who doesnt like Thai people and is the racist one. :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMA_FARANG Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 I think expats...those who live in Thailand as well as other countries...must be self-oriented personalities. Those that need a "society" that gives them a cultural "safety net" to live in may tend to have problems. If your view of the world is that of groups to join, you may not be happy unless you can't be a member of a local "group' to identify with. If you have to be an American, or a Brit, or a Scot, (or whatever)....you may feel uneasy living as an expat....because you can't identify a "home group" for yourself to join. If you are a person who doesn't feel the need to join a group, but would rather be your own individual person, then Thailand or any other country is all the same to you. If you learn to accept people you meet as individuals, not part of a "group", (either Thai, Farang, or some other group) then you can live and enjoy your time in Thailand or any other country. In my 45+ years since I left my home in the U.S., I have lived and worked in countries from Denmark, to Puerto Rico, to Saudi Arabia, to Vietnam, to Thailand, to Turkey and Greece. I can honestly say I had friends in all those countries. Of course, there were those people that I didn't like, and those who didn't like me. in all those countries. But I never paid too much attention to that...because I am really emotionally centered in my own world...which includes my friends. my family, and those I care for. Whether that is "well adjusted" or not is something that doesn't bother me. It's just the way I live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmdream Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 What a great question, You got to be kidding, we, the disposed and abandoned (sic) by our friends and families are living the lifestyle we dreamed of. We earned it! Many gave away a lot of wealth for this freedom. We crossed that bridge to freedom, we live like horses, we broke down the stalls that kept most of us confined. We were able to vision the future in that western world. Not for us, we wanted a life that we earned after 30 or 40 years of hard work ! Not a life dictated by Hollywood or TV commercials. Thailand lifestyle is a great find. The people, culture, and food are medicinal for a guy from the west. I could go on but you catch my drift. Chok Dee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLaughingMan Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Well I can see how people could be sad here. I find Bangkok to be the loneliest place on earth. Hard for most of you to imagine I know. If you don't like hookers and would like to make real friends it is a very sad place. The level of racism and negativity towards falangs makes it hard to meet and befriend people, the ones that are interested in befriending you land up becoming a liability and/or want money. The answer I guess is to meet Thai people that don't need money but then that goes back to the racism issue which is very real, most of them dont want to be friends with a falang. If you want to make friends with other falangs you need to be careful as it seems like everyone that lives here has some sort of psychological issue or they themselves are scared to make friends with other falangs as they think the same thing about you. I assume men that sit around pubs drinking all day and then sleeping with hookers all get along fine together but if that is not your cup of tea it is hard to find people you can relate to of any nationality in this city. lol, are you serious? I live in Bangkok and married to a Thai lady. I met her at Uni in farang land and have met great friends in Bangkok, maybe its just you, with the posts you have made and this post right here. I think its you who doesnt like Thai people and is the racist one. If you are going to go after me now, please do so directly as I do that to you. I don't latch on to others posts to point out your flaws, I simply point them out myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jangot Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 I lived in Papua New Guinea for 9 years The common saying there was that all long term expats were either mercenaries, missionaries, or misfits. As I wasn't earning that much and am an atheist, I guess it was easy to categorize me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerchang Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 As an SAS trained fireman(retired) I have little trouble making friends in whichever bar I decide to frequent. All the ladies adore me and I rarely go home alone, also I am often commended on my good looks. My western friends, who I spend many hours in wise and meaningful conversations with, all tend to be ex military too, and are all great blokes. I'm not one to flaunt my wealth so I choose to live a pretty low key lifestyle here, but really I'm very rich and have many properties back home... But to be honest I do worry about some of the other TV members and their mental health.... From some the obvious fabrications you can read here it is sad to think that they are away from their families and Doctors.... Hi, I'm SAS too! Brilliant! You even got someone to bite! My own personal mental health is suffering whilst here in Thailand, having been told I relax far too much. Good luck to the rest of you. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartempion Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Are expats generally just as balanced and happy, or even more so, than those who stay at home? If I would have been that happy staying at home I would not have moved over here Sanity? I feel a lot better now having left the insane Western world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lioness Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 on the expat side of things. it's been virtually impossible finding people to have decent conversations with here in the land of fake smiles. many have been here too long, and have developed the corrupt mind-set, and settle for anything when it comes to work and relationships. I think it depends on where you are, if you are in a big city surrounded by the teaming masses, everyone if doing their own thing and it's hard to break in. If you were in a high tourist area then there would be a lot of holiday makers. A reasonable size town or Village will have a more laid back lifestyle and you will make friends easier.as with anywhere in the world you will get all different types of people, some won't be the type you want as friends, but from experience there is a percentage of shall we say, good and bad anywhere. I have a few very good Farang friends, who are married to Thai ladies and as one of my friends says good friends and good conversation makes the world a better place. This applies anywhere , the lonelinest holiday I ever had was in London, so I hired a car and went up to Scotland for a couple of weeks, landed in a small fishing Village on the East Coast and left 11 months later, most of the village kinda adopted me and didn't want me to leave. Now you wouldn't get that in a big city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungian Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Without breaking doctor patient confidentiality, I will tell you that there is mental illness here that I have never seen in the USA primarily delusions and justification of wrong doing. I would say the older expats that are married to a woman from their own country are the most well adjusted and simply came here to retire and live a good life. I would be happy to talk to you and give you some nonspecific details and generalizations of what I have found and dealt with in counseling and treating expats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absingjul Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 They look happy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 In the words of the late, great Waylon Jennings... "I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry9999 Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Or is there no problem at all? Are expats generally just as balanced and happy, or even more so, than those who stay at home? Thai Visa Topics Thai Toilet Etiquette - 198 posts 68 baht Yakuilt Scam - 113 posts Well balanced and happy???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 No wonder, that many poster here have problems with the strange life in Thailand, if they even cannot distinguish serious threads from faked ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livinthailandos Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 mental health of expats doesn't seem you'll get any kind of actual response, thats pretty common on thaivisa, the website is good in other areas though. TO: myauq vinniekintana the laughingman something you guys hit the nail on the head that I can relate to actually. Glad i went through this forum. I know few people but wouldn't say their my friends more like people I talk to, Most of them though work all the time. I find the only source of enjoying my time is TV, internet, reading books, I'm already starting a mini area have more than 25 books already, I find the majority of people couldn't care less about having some form of intellectual discussions or debates. so why bother anymore. I just try to find things to keep me busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 If one excludes behavioural associated mental illness and sticks strictly to the organic basis, e.g. dementia, depression etc. it should be obvious that there will be a higher incidence than in Thailand amongst the expats than in the expat's originating country. It is a reflection of the age demographics. Most of the TV members are over the age of 50 with a large number in the 65+ segment. It is normal to have organic caused illnesses in a population. Concentrate the population to a specific age group and one will see more of certain age specific illnesses. Mental health care in Thailand is rather poor to begin with and is particularly bad when it comes to the care of geriatric patients. I think one will see more extreme forms of deviant non-organic sourced behaviours in the expat community because the constraints that would be in place in that expat's homeland are no longer in place when in Thailand. As well, that foreigner would most likely be obliged to seek mental health care if he or she had remained in his or her homeland. In Thailand, the behavioural deviant can do as he or she pleases. Note too that based upon the old TV survey, most of the TV users are male and single. I think that acurately reflects the expat community as well. When you remove a wife or girlfriend from the picture, the moderating factor is removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullwhenempty Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) When I visited Russia I remember a lady asking me 'Where are all the quality men?' (I didn't take it personally ). Now I'm in Thailand no-one asks me this since the ladies are generally too polite and if your skin is light it doesn't matter if you look like a bulldog chewing a wasp. You are still good marriage material. I think the question is neverthless still valid here. Thailand attracts more than its fair share of denizens of the deep, for obvious reasons. The sane, relaxed and happy aren't motivated to seek change (adventurers and sun-seeking retirees apart). In Hong Kong, they had an acronym. FILTH. Failed in London Tried Hong Kong. The same can be said here. Thailand IMO is full of the wounded divorced. Sex hounds. Men who couldn't get a girl back home or who have had enough of 'feminazis'. Business failures and those who just can't cope with running on the mousewheel any longer. I quite admire all of them for having the courage to make the move but I would say there are going to be a higher percentage of ex-pats who have been 'wounded' for various reasons. Agree with geriatrick's lack of moderating influences, although one could argue the sexually repressed at least have an outlet where, god forbid, they might have been committing sexual crimes back home. Perhaps, too, the fear of life in Thai prison is a moderating influence? Edited June 21, 2009 by fullwhenempty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanmiguellight Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) ^^^^^^^ Whilst i agree with you there are an abundance of scumbags in LOS, to call many of them would be rapists is taking things a bit far. The problem with many in LOS is they drink almost everyday sooner or later it leads to mental health problems, unfortunatley lots of decent ex service men in their early 40s who've retired out here on their 1000-1500GBP a month pension seem to be the worst for this. Edited June 21, 2009 by sanmiguellight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Without breaking doctor patient confidentiality, I will tell you that there is mental illness here that I have never seen in the USA primarily delusions and justification of wrong doing. I would say the older expats that are married to a woman from their own country are the most well adjusted and simply came here to retire and live a good life. I would be happy to talk to you and give you some nonspecific details and generalizations of what I have found and dealt with in counseling and treating expats. Ohhh so you're a doctor this week, are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastEgo Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 does the OP mean the lack of mental health of ex patriots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotime Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) My mental health issues seem to disappear when I get to Thailand ! Me, too. Physical health issues, too. Edited June 21, 2009 by Shotime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now