Survey shows many Thais suffering suicidal thoughts and depression during pandemic

A recent survey shows that many Thais are enduring suicidal thoughts, depression, and burnout as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Amporn Benjaponpitak from the Department of Mental Health says the online poll assessed the mental health of over 2.5 million people in Thailand. A Thai PBS World report carries a breakdown of some of the results.

Over 8% of respondents, or 216,098 people say they’re suffering from stress.
Nearly 10%, or 254,243, say they’re depressed.
Over 5%, or 140,939, are deemed at risk of committing suicide.
Over 4%, or 25,552 people, say they have feelings of burnout.

Amporn has expressed concern about the findings, saying sufferers are in need of mental health care. Furthermore, she says around half of those who’ve been infected with Covid-19 are still dealing with the long-term toll on both their physical health and mental wellbeing 3 months after recovery. These too are in need of mental health care, with Amporn adding that this group has been found to be at risk of suicidal thoughts.

According to Amporn, the National Mental Health Committee recently agreed to implement more proactive measures to address mental health issues and promote mental wellbeing in a bid to reduce the risk of suicide among sufferers.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World