A Thai suicide every two hours, doctor reveals

[Lite Beer]

A Thai suicide every two hours, doctor reveals

BANGKOK: -- At least one Thai commits suicide every two hours on average, according to statistics.

In 2013 alone, as many as 3,900 Thais ended their own life over issues such as family problems, economic woes, and chronic illness.

Khon Kaen Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital director Dr Prapas Ukranan revealed these details Friday to mark the upcoming World Suicide Prevention Day.

On September 10 every year, various organisations around the world observe the need to prevent people from taking their own life.

"In Thailand, between 10 and 12 people commit suicide each day on average," Prapas said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/A-Thai-suicide-every-two-hours-doctor-reveals-30242624.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-05

[MJP]

It's a major killer the World over.

Three young males take their own life on average every day across the country – and the recession is thought to be playing a part in many of the deaths.

The latest figures show that the suicide rate rose significantly in 2011 with 4,552 men taking their own life out of a total of 6,045 people.

The highest rate was in the male age bracket 30-44. Suicide in this group accounted for more deaths than road accidents, murder and HIV/Aids combined.

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/24/suicide-biggest-male-killer-3556960/

[NeverSure]

"At least one Thai commits suicide every two hours on average, according to statistics."

Who is this "one Thai" and why doesn't someone stop him?

Edited September 5, 2014 by NeverSure

[marcusd]

This is most sad. Family pressure. modern day keeping up with the neighbours, pressure of material wealth and success.

All of this is adding to disaster. AND there is NO psychology in the health system worth noting.

I went with 2 friends with HIV to a major hospital in Chiang Mai. One poor lad was having MAJOR reaction to the medicine which in my opinion was becoming life threatening. (I am experienced for many years as this was my profession. Prior to moving to Thailand...)

I ordered him to STOP the Medicine and we booked to see the SPECIALIST AREA at the Hospital. He was improving dramatically when stopped, however the Doctor said his appointment was scheduled for another 2 months and he should not listen to me and he should NEVER stop medicine unless THEY SAID SO. The doctor castigated me and said "this is how we do it in Thailand" and then I went ballistic. Lets just say the doctor was pulled into line.

the point I am making is there are many pressures of NOT QUESTIONING or doing anything against what they are told and this is all worrying to many and causing more problems in mental health than it solves socially.

[JohnThailandJohn]

This is most sad. Family pressure. modern day keeping up with the neighbours, pressure of material wealth and success.

All of this is adding to disaster. AND there is NO psychology in the health system worth noting.

I went with 2 friends with HIV to a major hospital in Chiang Mai. One poor lad was having MAJOR reaction to the medicine which in my opinion was becoming life threatening. (I am experienced for many years as this was my profession. Prior to moving to Thailand...)

I ordered him to STOP the Medicine and we booked to see the SPECIALIST AREA at the Hospital. He was improving dramatically when stopped, however the Doctor said his appointment was scheduled for another 2 months and he should not listen to me and he should NEVER stop medicine unless THEY SAID SO. The doctor castigated me and said "this is how we do it in Thailand" and then I went ballistic. Lets just say the doctor was pulled into line.

the point I am making is there are many pressures of NOT QUESTIONING or doing anything against what they are told and this is all worrying to many and causing more problems in mental health than it solves socially.

If you are trying to say that this has something to do with Thailand's suicide rate then it may be why Thailand has a lower suicide rate than many countries in the west where things are questioned such as the UK and US.

[kriswillems]

This and motorcycle accidents are big killers of young people.

Just 2 weeks ago I was called to a place we give for rent and saw a young woman that hanged herself with an electric cable.

People that commit suicide often don't understand what a huge amount of problems they cause for the people around them (the parents, boyfriend, owner of the place they lived).

I personally know several people that died in motorcycle accidents.

At moment you're confronted with again another death you start wondering if you've chosen the right country to live in.

Edited September 5, 2014 by kriswillems

[Torrens54]

"At least one Thai commits suicide every two hours on average, according to statistics."

Who is this "one Thai" and why doesn't someone stop him?

Just an Attention Seeker!

[DrLom]

This and motorcycle accidents are big killers of young people.

Just 2 weeks ago I was called to a place we give for rent and saw a young woman that hanged herself with an electric cable.

People that commit suicide often don't understand what a huge amount of problems they cause for the people around them (the parents, boyfriend, owner of the place they lived).

I personally know several people that died in motorcycle accidents.

At moment you're confronted with again another death you start wondering if you've chosen the right country to live in.

One does not 'give' for 'rent' - that's paradoxical.

Was she fit, by the way?

Tell me a county you can live in where people don't commit suicide, and I'll show you one where people don't die in motorcyle accidents.

[paz]

Coincidentally, BBC reports today there is one suicide death every 40 seconds in the world.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29060238

it is the 2nd cause of death in the young.

[Tokay]

That's nothing compared to the suicide rates of China and Japan.

Death happens to us all. Can't escape it. You may as well be the one to decide when and where.

That said, when you do not have problem solving skills, or know how to rationally deal with things, even the tiniest problem becomes too huge to live with. Doesn't surprise me that so many Thais check-out early. I figured it would be more to be honest.

[FangFerang]

This and motorcycle accidents are big killers of young people.

Just 2 weeks ago I was called to a place we give for rent and saw a young woman that hanged herself with an electric cable.

People that commit suicide often don't understand what a huge amount of problems they cause for the people around them (the parents, boyfriend, owner of the place they lived).

I personally know several people that died in motorcycle accidents.

At moment you're confronted with again another death you start wondering if you've chosen the right country to live in.

So, people should not take their own lives because their landlords have to deal with it afterwards?

In these discussions, there is rarely a distinction between suicides that are lucid decisions based on trauma and suicides stemming from mental illness. The first is a response to having incurable diseases that will bankrupt a family and leave a sufferer in hell so the rest of us can feel good about fighting for life and all that intellectual cowardice. The second kind is a suicide that happens because someone has lost hope and can see nothing improving in their life.

In the second case, suicide is tragically a permanent solution to a temporary problem, but the only thing that can really prevent these suicides is....the help and compassion of other people. Being aware of the old lady living upstairs whose husband left her alone and broke, or the girl that rents from us and has a life broken somewhere where she cannot fix it. Putting a bag of rice outside someone's door is not really much more difficult than typing RIP on a forum.

[kriswillems]

I just checked some statistics.

The suicide rate in Thailand is not very high. Thailand is only at number 66 in the world ranking and most western countries have a much higher rate.

(But knowing the way of working of the Thai police I wonder if the numbers are correct.)

Motorcycle accidents and traffic accidents in general are another thing. The rate in Thailand is exceptionally high.

Edited September 6, 2014 by kriswillems

[kriswillems]

The girl that killed herself was the girlfriend of one of the people that hires a room with us.

She decided to kill herself while her boyfriend was at work.

She called him at work before doing so. But he didn't believe her.

When he came back to the apartment, he found her hanging and they called us.

According to friends of the boyfriend the woman had a history of mental instability.

But the boyfriend was also extremely cruel to her, and I just got to know that sometimes he let her sleep in front of the locked door of his room, in the hall.

It was all a big show (lots of cars of Chinese temples with flashing lights) and everyone around knows what happened. 17 rooms moved out (afraid of ghosts).

The last video images on the CCTV system shows a little struggle and the boyfriend is running after the girlfriend, which runs to her room.

I've told the police about this but they never asked to see the CCTV recordings.

You can call me selfish, but the girl is dead, and after 2 weeks I am still suffering because of the decision of this woman (that was not even the person that hired the room and did not live there permanently).

Suicide might be act of disparity it's also a very coward and selfish thing to do.

[Keesters]

If you take the crazy way they drive their cars and motorcycles as if death to themselves meant nothing then the suicide rate is actually far higher.

And the deaths to others caused by their reckless driving as well as lack of regard to safety, building collapse, disco fires, faulty ATMs, etc would make the murder/manslaughter rates skyrocket.

[DrLom]

The girl that killed herself was the girlfriend of one of the people that hires a room with us.

She decided to kill herself while her boyfriend was at work.

She called him at work before doing so. But he didn't believe her.

When he came back to the apartment, he found her hanging and they called us.

According to friends of the boyfriend the woman had a history of mental instability.

But the boyfriend was also extremely cruel to her, and I just got to know that sometimes he let her sleep in front of the locked door of his room, in the hall.

It was all a big show (lots of cars of Chinese temples with flashing lights) and everyone around knows what happened. 17 rooms moved out (afraid of ghosts).

The last video images on the CCTV system shows a little struggle and the boyfriend is running after the girlfriend, which runs to her room.

I've told the police about this but they never asked to see the CCTV recordings.

You can call me selfish, but the girl is dead, and after 2 weeks I am still suffering because of the decision of this woman (that was not even the person that hired the room and did not live there permanently).

Suicide might be act of disparity it's also a very coward and selfish thing to do.

I REALLY can't believe what you are writing here. You're suffering because of her actions, in that 17 renters moved out?

Suicide is not cowardly, in fact it takes a lot of guts or mental distress.

Did you mean 'witch' runs to her room, or 'who' runs to her room. Condescending either way.

You should think about the ways in which you express yourself in future posts because, as your rhetoric suggests, you're selfish indeed.

[marcusd]

This is most sad. Family pressure. modern day keeping up with the neighbours, pressure of material wealth and success.

All of this is adding to disaster. AND there is NO psychology in the health system worth noting.

I went with 2 friends with HIV to a major hospital in Chiang Mai. One poor lad was having MAJOR reaction to the medicine which in my opinion was becoming life threatening. (I am experienced for many years as this was my profession. Prior to moving to Thailand...)

I ordered him to STOP the Medicine and we booked to see the SPECIALIST AREA at the Hospital. He was improving dramatically when stopped, however the Doctor said his appointment was scheduled for another 2 months and he should not listen to me and he should NEVER stop medicine unless THEY SAID SO. The doctor castigated me and said "this is how we do it in Thailand" and then I went ballistic. Lets just say the doctor was pulled into line.

the point I am making is there are many pressures of NOT QUESTIONING or doing anything against what they are told and this is all worrying to many and causing more problems in mental health than it solves socially.

If you are trying to say that this has something to do with Thailand's suicide rate then it may be why Thailand has a lower suicide rate than many countries in the west where things are questioned such as the UK and US.

I would not trust the figures as how they are reported makes things appear differently. In the west we often attribute drugs deaths to suicide. Here they do not.

[BSJ]

Suicide is a poor option but with the fog of a broken heart, eternal debt or social rejection some people can't see any other option. It stems from a weakness in the human condition.

[marcusd]

The girl that killed herself was the girlfriend of one of the people that hires a room with us.

She decided to kill herself while her boyfriend was at work.

She called him at work before doing so. But he didn't believe her.

When he came back to the apartment, he found her hanging and they called us.

According to friends of the boyfriend the woman had a history of mental instability.

But the boyfriend was also extremely cruel to her, and I just got to know that sometimes he let her sleep in front of the locked door of his room, in the hall.

It was all a big show (lots of cars of Chinese temples with flashing lights) and everyone around knows what happened. 17 rooms moved out (afraid of ghosts).

The last video images on the CCTV system shows a little struggle and the boyfriend is running after the girlfriend, which runs to her room.

I've told the police about this but they never asked to see the CCTV recordings.

You can call me selfish, but the girl is dead, and after 2 weeks I am still suffering because of the decision of this woman (that was not even the person that hired the room and did not live there permanently).

Suicide might be act of disparity it's also a very coward and selfish thing to do.

We may think of this as SELFISH but suicide is a cry from the inside for HELP - a help that the person feels they cannot obtain for many reasons.

Here it would seem to me that she was so alone and afraid and in love.

You may feel that you are suffering and this is normal but do not blame the victim.

Suicide is something we have no answers for.

When you cna TRULY understand every mind, every thought, every person in depth, then you can understand suicide.

[Lupatria]

If they received the figures from Thai police reports i have my doubts.

In many cases here it is suicide unless the victim can prove it is not.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Lupatria

[Jools]

I call bullshit on these stats. Thais are far less likely to top themselves than farangs.

[Blindside]

If you take the crazy way they drive their cars and motorcycles as if death to themselves meant nothing then the suicide rate is actually far higher.

And the deaths to others caused by their reckless driving as well as lack of regard to safety, building collapse, disco fires, faulty ATMs, etc would make the murder/manslaughter rates skyrocket.

I was going to say that riding a motorcycle without a helmet at speeds over 80km/h (even lower of course) and weaving in and out of traffic is also a form of suicide when the inevitable happens.

Anyhow, the suicide rate is "high" around the world. The reasons tend to be uniform around the world, although I reckon the weather right up north (Norway etc.) makes it even more bleak when you are depressed etc.

Little bit of a non-story really. People commit suicide... Yes, even Thai people...

A real story would be a country where suicide is almost non-existent.

[keestha]

Suicide figures are debatable. I know for instance that in the Netherlands, if somebody just stops eating and drinking and eventually dies, it is registered as a natural cause of death.

[KhnomKhnom]

Two general responses here....... "suicides make trouble for ME" and "Thai stats have to be wrong."

Now I see why these type responders live in Thailand; no other place on earth would put up with such selfish, negative, and doubting disparagement of where they live.

Hey, you guys, you had better fix a way to stay in Thailand because you would be kicked out of any less forgiving place.

[Alwyn]

"At least one Thai commits suicide every two hours on average, according to statistics."

Who is this "one Thai" and why doesn't someone stop him?

Just an Attention Seeker!

nah, that's not a fair comment. Some people that commit suicide are attention seeking, not many as the "attention seekers" don't actually kill themselves, they take bottle of paracetamol - not enough to kill usually - and them make a call to emergency services, they don't want to die, as you say, they are attention seekers for whatever reason. People that commit suicide are normally not trying to their life, they are trying to end the pain.

[Alwyn]

Two general responses here....... "suicides make trouble for ME" and "Thai stats have to be wrong."

Now I see why these type responders live in Thailand; no other place on earth would put up with such selfish, negative, and doubting disparagement of where they live.

Hey, you guys, you had better fix a way to stay in Thailand because you would be kicked out of any less forgiving place.

Well said. I know for a fact that most suicide cases are not wanting to end their lives but they want to end their pain.

[catweazle]

Sad news for this "we're so proud of ourselves, never have been occupied, we are simply the greatest" country... Think this extensive suicide rate alone would be a much more pressing matter than demolishing people's livelihoods along the coasts of Thailand or suppressing western tourists, investors and expats with ever tighter visa and immigration rules. But demolishing is what armies do, sorry I forgot - my bad...

[Strangebrew]

sad thing to hear but on the other side It is also #1 cause of death for farangs here too or at least I hear loads of farangs die in this manner.

[kriswillems]

Did you mean 'witch' runs to her room, or 'who' runs to her room. Condescending either way.

You should think about the ways in which you express yourself in future posts because, as your rhetoric suggests, you're selfish indeed.

Who. I am sorry I am not a native English speaker.

Well, from me the woman can't expect too much sympathy.

If she wanted to kill herself she would have better done it her own place.

Most people that commit suicide have done many attempts before actually being actually successful. Also this woman made a previous attempt (a few years ago, she took pills). People tried to help her.

Some people just can't handle life, and no matter how hard people around them try, it's all suffering for them. It's so easy to feel sorry for the person that committed suicide but I believe it's often a choice made during years of suffering. For them it's the best and (from their perspective) the most logical solution. And when they die, their suffering stops, so they have got what they want. So, why do we have to feel sorry?

I don't think it's a brave thing to do. It takes less than a minute to hang yourself and die. But the family and friends, they will carry it with them all their life. They will always feel guilty, they will feel like they should have done more to prevent it.

You might call it a cry for help, but it's sometimes more than that. It's like the final and most extreme punishment you could give the people that love you. It's an extreme but also selfish cry for attention. The girl that killed herself must have understood how the boyfriend would feel after he would find her ... it's like the ultimate revenge. Again, I think it's a selfish thing to do.

Don't misunderstand me. Everything should be done to prevent suicides. But I have little sympathy for people that kill themselves.

The only case were I can show sympathy is if the suicide is a form euthanasia and the people around yourself have been explained beforehand about the reason why it was necessary to take the step and they understand why you need to take that step.

[worgeordie]

Wonder ,how many of these suicides are actually murders,

that the police,cannot be bothered to even try and solve.

regards Worgeordie

[robertthebruce]

This and motorcycle accidents are big killers of young people.

Just 2 weeks ago I was called to a place we give for rent and saw a young woman that hanged herself with an electric cable.

People that commit suicide often don't understand what a huge amount of problems they cause for the people around them (the parents, boyfriend, owner of the place they lived).

I personally know several people that died in motorcycle accidents.

At moment you're confronted with again another death you start wondering if you've chosen the right country to live in.

100 percent agree with you...