Sathaporn Hatip, 16, does not remember the tsunami but continues to struggle with its aftermath eight years after it struck his hometown.
Pinyo Suksoi, 38, embraces his nine-year-old son as the two visit the Tsunami Memorial at Ban Nam Khem, which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, in Phangnga’s Takua Pa district. Mr Pinyo is being treated for depression resulting from post-disaster trauma. PARITTA WANGKIAT
"I am not happy," said the Grade 9 student who describes himself as "mischievous". He goes to Baan Nam Khem school only once a week.
Sathaporn's ears are pierced. He's wearing flip-flops and his shirt is un-tucked.
"I lost both my parents in the tsunami," he said. "My grandmother, who I live with, often talks about the tsunami with grief, which annoys me even more."
Sathaporn is among a large number of youngsters, estimated to be in their thousands, who bear psychological wounds. Their trauma has erupted vicariously through adults who experienced direct trauma from the tsunami.
Sathaporn was too young to remember details of the ruinous giant waves at the time they struck his community in 2004.
But the adults around him keep reminding him of his losses.
To escape the painful reminiscing he leaves his house whenever the subject comes up.
"I know I am not as good kid as when my parents were alive," he said. "I just don't want to hear anything about the losses."
His reaction has been identified as subclinical psychosis _ an affliction which could lead to subsequent mental disorders, but comes without clear warning signs.
Dusita Knongmuang's 22-year-old son also struggles with the tsunami's aftermath. Mrs Dusita said her son became wayward after her husband became an alcoholic. He started drinking following the tsunami.
The couple lost four family members to the tsunami including their other son, whose body was never found.
Today, she works alone in a souvenir shop in Phangnga to feed her family. Her husband has become paralysed because of his excessive drinking, which devastates their son, she said.
"He loves his son very much."
The Department of Mental Health (DOMH) estimates that up to 10,000 people suffered psychological trauma after the 2004 tsunami disaster wreaked havoc across six southern provinces.
The department gave psychological support services to about 18,000 people after the disaster. The services included psychiatric drugs, counselling and medical treatment.
In Phangnga alone, 9,136 services were administered to victims. Most of the patients were adults who couldn't cope with what they had seen and experienced.
But even more challenging for mental health professionals have been the cases involving children who suffer quiet, concealed trauma, wrought by parents reliving their terrible experiences.
Dr Benjaporn Panyayong, director of the Mental Health Recovery Centre _ a unit set up to rehabilitate people affected by the tsunami _ said a survey of 550 families in Krabi, Phuket and Phangnga found that about 20-30% of youths aged between 6-16 suffer this hidden trauma.
The latent infliction can be detected through changes in the youths' conduct, Dr Benjaporn says.
Signs could include persistent poor behaviour, drug use and other addictions and academic struggles.
"These kids don't know how the disaster has influenced their mental health," she said. "So they react by showing frustration or being upset whenever someone reminds them of their bad memories."
During the past two years, the DOMH, non-governmental organisations and businesses have raised about 23 million baht each year to fund a rehabilitation programme in the tsunami-affected area.
About 5,000 adults and 1,600 children from Phangnga, Krabi and Phuket have joined the programme.
However, the programme is not attracting many people who need help because those suffering from subclinical psychosis show no obvious signs of either trauma or depression, Dr Benjaporn said.
"We are sure that there are many kids and youths who have been affected by this problem though they don't know it," she said.
"It's very important for adults to create a good environment for them to live in."
Children and teens living in the restive deep South are reported to also suffer from the same subclinical psychosis, she said.
Atthapong Thanimpas, a psychologist who has collaborated with the DOMH for the rehabilitation programme, said children are likely to recover from a traumatic incident faster that adults.
"We've found through the programme that kids could adjust themselves back to a normal stage within a year or two, while many adults turned to drugs or alcohol," he said.
"Some adults have to be treated with medication for many years."
Pinyo Suksoi, 38, was treated for depression for three years after he witnessed his house collapse in the tsunami. Mr Pinyo's son was one at the time.
Despite his duties as a father, he couldn't cope with the trauma, he said.
"I can still smell the corpses," he said. "I have difficulties pursuing my daily life. The devastation has haunted me."