Hello, my name is Sam. I am a Thai citizen living in Pan, Thailand. A year ago, I was diagnosed as an anorexic (eating disorder) and suffering from depression. Since then I have gone to Chiang Mai and Bangkok in hopes to find a doctor, therapist, or support group that can help me. I knew that I could not overcome this alone and that I needed professional help. However, it has been a very difficult experience as being depressed and having an eating disorder in Thailand is frowned upon. I never felt so alone as when Thai doctors simply dismiss my depression as a joke, or when family and friends laugh when I tell them I have an eating disorder. It is difficult to approach them again because I feel as if I am a burden to them. Many Thai people do not understand how serious depression and eating disorders can be, it can feel very cold sometimes when you realize that the people you love do not understand you, going as far as belittling you. But I am not asking for people to understand, it is okay. Instead, I am asking for help in order to find professional treatment for people like me.

 

I am asking for help on a foreigner forum because I believe Western oriented therapy and medical practices will be more suitable for someone in my situation. So far I have not met a Thai doctor or therapist who truly understood what I was facing or how to help me. But I still have hope that there is someone out there who can. Whether they are Thai or foreigner, it does not matter. I am willing to do what it takes to recover and can travel to any city if there is a real chance of finding help. Please, if you know of someone or can provide any lead, let me know so that I can reach them. I studied English abroad, so communicating is not a problem. 

 

Honestly, my thoughts have taken a turn for the worse and my mind is plagued with suicidal thoughts. Please, I beg of you, it would mean so much to know that people care. Thank you again. 

Sincerely,

Sam

All l am able to confirm is the main thing with these diagnosed conditions as well as doctor supervised medication is support and group therapy and it is good start and positive attitude you take in recognizing this yourself. 

 

I can only help by suggesting because you are Thai and you have the ability to read and speak English to try in this General forum the 3rd down  " Health, Body & Medicine " maybe you will get some help there. Goodluck.

Thank you! I will try there. I am sorry if I posted in the wrong section.

Moving to the Health forum. 

Hey sam, I sent you a PM with my phone number. I can't help with the doctors here in thailand, but I suffer from extreme depression and panic attacks and I can talk to you about what I've done to deal with it. 

 

Check your pm and call me if you want. If not feel free to PM. 

 

Things will get better. The thing with depression is that it feeds on itself and thailand can be an isolating place. The best therapy is talking to people in the same situation. 

Dear Sam,

 

A suggestions which provides western-style therapy from western trained Thai professionals. It is n Bangkok, unfortunately I don't think you will find what you need upcountry.

 

http://www.manarom.com/index_eng.html  

This is a private psych facility of international standard and has specialists experienced in management of eating disorders. I think they have both individual and group therapy. Best to call and ask specificlly which of their doctors/counsellors are experienced in treating anorexia.

 

There are also some online support groups, since your English seems good you should try them as a source of moral support:

http://edanonymous.blogspot.com/

 

https://thebutterflyfoundation.org.au/our-services/support-groups/online-support-groups/

 

https://anorexia.supportgroups.com/

 

https://www.b-eat.co.uk/support-services/online-support-groups

 

http://www.bodywhys.ie/supportServices/online-support-group/

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I cannot stop crying and I am grateful for your sympathy. @Strange, you are too kind and I cannot believe you would take the time to do this. Thank you...I will PM you soon.

 

@Sheryl, thank you thank you! The facility you provided gives me great hope and lifts my spirits. I am going to call them first thing in the morning and give them my best shot. May I ask how you thought of this place and if you have heard good things from them?

 

Sincerely,
Sam

 

Bless you guys.

Honestly I had been suffering depression before (a different one), but you know, getting a lot of friends can help a lot.

As what I observed here in this country, people "blamed " persons who have had depressive disorder. Because of Thais' "sanook" culture, they tend to neglect those who are "mai sanook". Most people cannot connect depression and suicide.

Find people who have hearts welcoming you.


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Do Western   group therapy  ideas work with Thais  who have not grown up with the same ideas of success and failure ?

 

Just wondering and hoping it "translates" to any culture

 

Good Luck Sam

 

 

I too deal with depression and to an extent, anhedonia.  Like Strange above, I also agree that talking with people who are/have been in the same situation can be a great help.  It can be tough here in Thailand understandably due to the sanook/mai sanook superficiality that markusangel refers to also.  I prefer to surround myself with a few "kind" people vs a lot of "fun" people.  So many people will offer suggestions such as "do something fun", but when depressed, it's hard to find pleasure in things that are generally fun for others.  I do know that there are things that help keep myself from spiraling further down when I'm depressed which include not drinking alcohol (rarely, if ever) and doing my best to keep my body in shape with a healthy diet and exercise although even then, it's not a silver bullet.

 

anybody contributing to this thread can also feel free to PM me at any time.