Most Bangkok Residents Suffer Stress: Survey

[george]

Most Bangkok residents suffer stress: survey

BANGKOK: Just about everybody living in Bangkok experienced stress to some degree in 2003, while one in 10 considered killing themselves because of severe depression, according to an Abac poll.

Based on interviews with 1,134 Bangkok residents between December 15 and 27, the Abac Poll found that 98 per cent of respondents suffered from stress this year.

Financial problems were the major source of stress, with 85 per cent of respondents saying that money problems were what stressed them the most.

The second-highest cause of stress among Bangkok people was the traffic, with 58 per cent of respondents saying being caught in traffic jams brought on stress.

Just over one in 8 respondents (13.3 per cent) said they suffered stress daily; 25.6 per cent once a week; 34 per cent monthly; and 27.1 per cent said they felt stressful less than once a month.

The Abac survey found only 1.9 per cent of respondents said they were stress-free in the past year.

Other causes of stress were pollution; relationship break-ups; and family, work, and school or university problems.

Respondents said that suffering from stress caused them to be short tempered and irritable, and suffer from headaches and sleeplessness. Other respondents said they felt depressed; had no appetite; wanted to cry; and craved cigarettes.

Some said their stress resulted in stomach-aches, nausea or vomiting.

A total of 67 per cent of respondents said that when they became stressed, they opted for relaxing activities, such as going to movies, listing to music or reading. The second-most common way to relieve stress was to discuss their problems with family or friends.

Other respondents said they sought relief from stress by sleeping, taking holidays, exercising and being alone.

--The Nation 2003-12-29