Yesterday, Thailand’s number of Covid-19 infections since the pandemic hit the country in 2020 jumped to three million. There have been 781,371 infections since January 1. Out of those infections, there have been 1,478 deaths, and 589,997 recoveries.
Thailand’s Department of Mental Health reports drastic impacts of Covid-19 on mental health. DMH’s director-general told the Bangkok Post the suicide rate is 5.9 times what it was in pre-Covid days. The department’s data found that 2.1 times more likely to develop stress, and 4.8 times more likely to develop depression, than they were pre-pandemic. The director-general said one factor in the plummeting mental health is the Omicron variant spreading and preventing progress on the situation. He said the DMH plans a new service.
In some cases, people have committed suicide when their business stops making enough profit due to Covid-19. In one tragic incident, a couple in Chon Buri hung themselves in their home after loan sharks threatened them. The husband and wife both worked as food vendors, and Covid-19 restrictions as well as a lack of customers brought down their profit. The couple had two children.
A study by UNICEF from January 2020 to September 2021 found that 28% of Thai adolescents experienced high levels of stress, 32% risked depression, and 22% were at risk of suicide.
SOURCES: Bangkok Post | The Pattaya News | UNICEF