Significant number of uni students suicidal

[webfact]

Significant number of uni students suicidal

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

MORE THAN 6 per cent of university students have attempted suicide, recent research has discovered.
 

The study findings have been highlighted after several students killed themselves in recent weeks. 

 

“From research on university students’ depression during the past three to four years, it can be concluded that 6.4 per cent of students turned suicidal and tried to take their own life,” said Asst Professor Dr Piyawan Visessuvanapoom, who teaches at the Chulalongkorn University’s (CU) Faculty of Education. 

 

The studies were in both Thailand and overseas, she added.

 

Most student suicide attempts were in dormitories and homes, the research found.

 

The common triggers for the actions were quarrels with someone very close, learning problems and relationship issues. 

 

“Health problems, anxiety, stress and poor ties with parents and friends contribute to depression,” Piyawan said. 

 

Given that half of university students’ lives were about studies, lecturers could play a role in preventing a descent into depression, she said, adding:

“Lecturers should understand that students are diverse. When a group of students cannot do something, try to understand them and see how you can |help.” 

 

Asst Professor Dr Nattasuda Taephant, who heads the Centre for Psychological Wellness, explained that everyone becomes sad from time to time. “But if sadness is prolonged, a person may sink into depression,” she said. Nattasuda said academic results that were below expectations, plus money problems, soured romantic ties or friendships, or the sudden loss of something important could upset students’ lives and drive them into depression. 

 

“The depressed tend to view the world and their situation negatively. Their past experiences affect their interpretation of what they are facing,” she said. 

She said those with depression tended to keep themselves away from others, lose interest in |their studies and become |suicidal. 

 

“What the depressed want most is someone who agrees to listen and think for them. Lecturers, friends and family members can improve their emotional wellbeing,” she said. 

 

She said parents in particular should avoid any suggestion that they do not accept their children’s mistakes.

 

Asst Professor Dr Nuttorn Pityaratsatian, an expert in child and adolescent psychiatry at the CU Faculty of Medicine, recommended that those feeling depressed be invited to go out and participate in various kinds of activities, as well as being offered moral support. “People can recover from depression, like from a cold, but it also can come back from time to time. When ones feel sad, one should find an activity to do or a listening ear,” he said. 

In serious cases, he recommended that the depressed seek counselling from experts. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366061

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-19

 

The charity Samaritans is available around the clock for people who want to talk.

If you or anyone you know is in need of mental health services, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-713-6791 (English), 02713-6793 (Thai) or Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).

http://www.samaritansthai.com/news/samaritans-of-thailand-english-hotline/

[smedly]

shocking

 

independent support network needed - not teachers or parents

[plachon]

There is a lot of stating the obvious and banal comments by the "experts" in this article. They should be more specific about where the data stating 6.4 % of students had attempted suicide was derived from, both the source and countries involved. It is a shockingly high figure, if based on actual fact, though I have my doubts about its veracity. It would suggest that the number of people just considering suicide would be several times higher, before acting on those thoughts, so it would be getting into seriously high numbers.

 

There are several quotes I am not entirely impressed by, and this is one of them:

 

“What the depressed want most is someone who agrees to listen and think for them. Lecturers, friends and family members can improve their emotional wellbeing,” she said. 

 

While the depressed are really glad of someone who will take the time to listen to them in a confidential, caring and non-judgmental way, I am not sure that they want to have that person "think for them", which would suggest that the listener knows what's best for the depressed person, rather than that person themselves. But the listener cannot actually walk in the shoes or get in the mind of the depressed person to know what's best for them in their personal situation, so how can them "think for them"? Maybe it is a translation error or just a cultural thing, where the elder (pii) is supposed to know what's best for the younger (nong) depressed person, and is just replicating the patronage system that runs deep in Thai society. 

 

Hopefully, there will be better understanding of the various forms of mental illness in Thailand in coming years and with that, improved support systems across society.

[GoodieAfterDark]

Very sad. Any girls that need a lap to rest on, feel free to call me. I am available 24/7. I can listen, talk and touch. 

[gunderhill]

Significant numbers of Thai drivers are suicidal too, so what!

[Fex Bluse]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Significant number of Thai uni students suicidal

Thais are generally fairly weak minded and unable to handle deep conflict or struggle (especially mental struggle).

 

Also, the belief in reincarnation helps them along in their suicide goals. 

[phantomfiddler]

Maybe it,s the prospect of 10 million indians descending on Thailand that is bringing on a sense of despair ?

[soalbundy]

It seems the more they know the more they are in despair.

[Peterw42]

Ex wife was a counsellor at a major Uni back in Australia. That one Uni dealt with 6-8 suicides a year, overseas students under immense pressure to pass etc. 

The pressure on these students can be huge, the family has mortgaged the farm etc so the kids can go to Uni. 

The pressure increases as its not only rich kids go to uni, more middle to lower income Thais forsake everything to get a kid to Uni.

 

[nickstav]

Regarding Thai university students, I'd say some may be suicidal because they realize that with a university degree their brightest prospect will be becoming a salesclerk in a department store. I'm told most of them have bachelor degrees.

[MaxLee]

Rote learning and pounding useless facts into their heads and pointless old fashioned Poo-yai traditions against their Individual wills and morals is what kills them mentally, PERIOD

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, nickstav said:

Regarding Thai university students, I'd say some may be suicidal because they realize that with a university degree their brightest prospect will be becoming a salesclerk in a department store. I'm told most of them have bachelor degrees.

So right. Graduates who leave uni with anything less than a masters degree find it tougher than almost any other group to find decent work. And this heartbreaking situation is bound to get a lot worse with the roll-out of automation and the robotics/AI revolution.

 

With anything up to 70 percent of white as well as blue collar jobs predicted eventually to be taken over by machines, there needs to be total rethink of our outmoded educational models- not just in Thailand but worldwide.

 

Otherwise, the way things are going, young lives are going to be squandered in even greater 

numbers.

[DrTuner]

Yes well having bleak prospects not only personally career wise ,but also for the entire nation plunging into the dark ages might have a tiny effect on young people.

[metisdead]

A post in which the quoted content was quoted out of context has been removed as per this forum rule:

 

16) You will not make changes to quoted material from other members posts, except for purposes of shortening the quoted post. This cannot be done in such a manner that it alters the context of the original post.
 

The reply was removed as well. 

[Eligius]

8 hours ago, soalbundy said:

It seems the more they know the more they are in despair.

Don't worry, Soalbundy: I can assure you that in general Thai 'university' students know next to nothing about anything (almost literally).

So any stress they may be feeling comes from other quarters ...

[seajae]

our daughter is in her second year at uni(doctor) and originally was with 3 school friends from the same class she was in. One of them tried to kill herself last year and it turned out she did it because no one would do things for her or chase after her like her mother used to at home. The uni allowed the mother to move in with her after two of the others moved out, our daughter ended up moving out as well as the mother was making it hard for our daughter to study of a night with all her demands, any wonder some kids try to do it, too many are treated like youngsters instead of adults and babied. 

 

[Dinobot]

Instagram effect. When you look at an endless stream of contrived, perfect lives (none of which actually exist) then your own becomes quite shabby by comparison.