Health official sounds alarm
Suicide is the No 3 cause of Thai teenagers' deaths, with 852 teen suicides from 2007 to 2011, or an average of 170 cases per year, Mental Health Department deputy chief Thawee Tangseri said yesterday.
He presided over an opening ceremony at Bangkok’s CentralWorld of the campaign to mark the September 10 World Suicide Prevention Day.
More than 3,500 Thais committed suicide per year and last year there were 3,873 suicides, Thawee said.
Teenagers are especially vulnerable because they lack experience in facing big challenges and have a greater risk of mental-health problems.
Last year, the suicide rate among Thais aged 15 to 19 was at 3.43 per 100,000.
Male teens are three times more likely to kill themselves than female teens, who are three times more likely to injure themselves than males.
With 51.1 per cent of Thai teen suicides of schooling age, Thawee urged parents to watch their children, especially during stressful the General Aptitude Test (GAT)/Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) period.
Like adult suicides, hanging was the most-used method among teens at 75.29 per cent followed by drinking pesticide at 16.47 per cent. Teen suicides mostly occurred suddenly due to a crisis, such as school pressures or a relationship, rather than from long-existing mental problems.
About 16.8 per cent of suicides were committed by those with a prior history of self-injury.
Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai had the most teen suicides respectively. Thawee also expressed concern about Bangkok teens, whose suicide rate was 2.9 per cent, not counting unreported cases.