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Thailand Has One of the Highest Suicide Rates in the Region
It might be surprising to learn that the Land of Smiles has one of the highest suicide rates in Southeast Asia. After all, when you think of Thailand, you think of stunning beaches, amazing delicacies, friendly locals, and a warm and tropical climate.
But suicide is indeed a problem affecting the nation, and has only been exacerbated due to COVID-19. In this Pacific Prime Thailand article, we’ll dig deeper to pinpoint the root cause of the suicides.
1 Suicide Every 10 Minutes
There is at least 1 suicide attempt every 10 minutes in Thailand, according to an investigation video by CNA Insider. One major reason for this is the lack of mental health support, especially when it comes to suicidal issues.
While there are suicide hotlines in the country, it’s not usually easy to get through and speak to a provider. As the pandemic hit the largely tourist-dependent country in early 2020, there was a spike in suicides linked to financial woes as a result.
The pandemic is no doubt a detrimental factor contributing to high suicidal rates. However, little do you know, the background and traditions that Thailand possess is actually the ‘origin’ of Thai locals seeking improper mental illness ‘treatments’.
‘A Buddhist Society’
As a historically Buddha-worshiping society, the majority of locals in Thailand are fascinated with taking things with a supernatural or spiritual approach. They are firm believers in the existence of spirits and ghosts.
Whenever struggling with mental health problems and other issues that can’t be easily understood or explained, they then often reach out to spiritual doctors. These healers give out diagnoses like “there’s a bad omen trying to get into you”, which don’t help in planning modern psychotherapy treatments.
Meanwhile, there is an increasing number of holistic healing centers accessible to the general public. These centers do not carry the stigma associated with traditional psychotherapies, which leads the public to discern whether clinical psychologists are better than spiritual doctors.
As a result of the contradiction in traditional beliefs and medical advancements in a developing country, people are leaning towards seeing unlicensed spiritual doctors, such as monks, fortune tellers, palm readers, tarot readers, or birthday number analysis experts.
Shortage of Mental Health Experts
The superstition Thai residents hold seems to have adversely affected the number of available psychologists and psychiatrists in the area, with reports showing that Thailand has just 1.57 licensed psychologists to 100,000 people. For psychiatrists, the situation seems to be worse.
There are only on average 1.28 psychiatrists providing services to 100,000 people. This figure is nearly 8 times lower than the global average.
Except for the fact that these mental professionals tend to be more accessible in private hospitals, they are also concentrated in medical centers in the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. These persistent phenomena drive low-income workers and rural residents away from professional mental services.
Therefore, they can only reach out to unlicensed practitioners, fortune tellers and gypsies included. Coupled with low awareness of mental health, it’s no wonder that so few people seek proper treatment, leading to a drastically high suicide rate as a result.
Seeking Mental Health Support as an Expat
From suicide hotlines to private hospitals, there are several options for expats seeking mental health support in Thailand. Despite the aforementioned CNA investigation largely explored mental health issues facing locals rather than expats, one can’t deny that these issues don’t discriminate.
The fact of the matter is that life as an expat, in a country where mental health awareness is low and mental health support hard to come by, can be incredibly challenging. Fortunately, there are various places expats can go to for mental health support in Thailand:
1. Samaritans of Thailand
If you’re feeling depressed, lonely, or suicidal, you can dial the English-language hotline at 02 113 6789 (Press 2). The free service gives you access to staff who are knowledgeable in suicide prevention, though you don’t have to be suicidal to benefit from the hotline.
2. Bangkok Hospital
In the event of a mental health emergency, going to the emergency room at an international hospital is ideal. You’ll get mental health services and facilities for various issues including inpatient care, outpatient services, day programs, and counseling.
3. Manarom Hospital
Specializing in mental and behavioral healthcare, you’ll get a variety of mental health services like adult psychiatry and day programs for individuals and groups. The multidisciplinary staff are experts in dealing with conditions like substance abuse, family problems, PTSD, and more.
4. Psychological Services International (PSI)
Looking for an expat-focused service? Since 2011, this Bangkok-based mental health provider has been offering counseling, therapy, and assessment services. Staff speak English, French, and Thai, and service clients outside of the capital city via online consultation.
5. New Counseling Service (NCS)
For mental health services, counseling, and training to expats and locals, this fully-licensed counseling center in Bangkok offers support for a range of mental health issues ranging from anxiety and depression to grief counseling. Staff speak English, Thai, and many other languages.
Get In Touch With Pacific Prime Thailand Today!
Mental health services in Thailand don’t come cheap, especially if you go to private service providers with shorter wait times and better amenities. Fortunately, you don’t have to fork out for mental health care out of pocket if you have a comprehensive health insurance plan.
Reach out to an experienced, expat-focused broker like Pacific Prime Thailand to help you find the right plan for your needs and budget, and support you throughout your insurance journey.
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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