Man brought to psychiatric hospital after disturbing neighbours in Patong

A man in Patong was brought to a psychiatric hospital after he disturbed his neighbours with his erratic behaviour.

Patong Police said they were alerted of the incident at around 9.45am yesterday. The man was reportedly acting crazy in his apartment on Ratchapathanusorn Road and possibly presented a danger to himself and others.

The police arrived at the apartment to hear the man shouting inside a room. Officers tried to convince the man to unlock the door and come outside, but they were unsuccessful.

Luckily, the man’s wife, Anna Srinakoon, arrived and convinced the man to surrender.

The man was identified as Kittikhun Boonchuwong, originally from the southern province of Nakhon Sri Thammarat. He was taken to a local psychiatric hospital for assistance.

The police believe that Kittikhun’s behaviour was a result of personal problems and that he may have been under the influence of alcohol.

Officers found blood stains in the apartment and suspected that this was from Kittikhun hurting himself or tripping over objects.

Officers found no illegal drugs in his room, and are continuing to investigate the incident.

In September last year, it was reported that the number of cases of major depressive disorders (MDD) was rising in Thailand. The country’s mental health department was looking to push for the inclusion of psychiatric drugs on Thailand’s list of essential medicines.

According to a report by Thai PBS in October, Thailand’s insufficient number of psychiatrists is resulting in many individuals with mental health issues being left untreated.

With only 845 active psychiatrists in the country, Thailand has an average of only one psychiatrist for every 100,000 individuals. However, it is estimated that one in every 2,721 people in Thailand requires counselling, highlighting a significant shortage of mental health professionals. In comparison, Switzerland has 47.17 psychiatrists for every 100,000 individuals, which is a substantially higher number.

Their major workload means that psychiatric therapists in Thailand’s state hospitals have limited time to devote to each patient.