20% of Thais suffer from mental health problems but only 3 million went to hospital & only 1 million get regular treatment.

Above the famous painting The Scream by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1893) which captures the fear and worry of an anxiety disorder (Source: Wikipedia)

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Health

Three million Thais ‘mentally ill

19/09/2012
Online Reporters

At least three million Thais are known to suffer from some form or other of mental illness, Deputy Health Minister Dr Surawith Konsomboon said on Wednesday.

He was speaking to reporters after attending a ceremony where Boon Chartpanich donated 47 rai land to be used to build a psychiatric hospital in Phitsanulok province.

Dr Surawit said the latest study by the Department of Mental Health concluded that around 20% of Thais, or about one in every five, suffer from some form of mental illness. The most common diseases were psychosis, anxiety disorders, depression and apoplexy (a stroke), he said.

However, only three million of them had been registered with hospitals nationwide last year. Of these, only 1.09 million undergo regular treatment at the 17 psychiatric hospitals countrywide.

He said the number of mental health patients is likely to grow each year.

Within 15 years most of Thai society will be urbanised, especially the eastern regions, leading to more health problems among the people.

"As a result of urbanisation, society will become more fragile and self centered, the majority of households are likely to consist only of the father, mother and their children (fewer elderly people), with women playing the lead role in most families,” he said.

Dr Surawit said the World Health Organization is concerned about the rising incidence of depression across the globe. The WHO had recently moved depression to number two on its priority list, immediately below heart disease.

Dr Surawit said the ministry plans to expand the availability mental health treatment during 2013-2016. Help would be available to all groups of people - men, women, children, young adults and the elderly.

He said the goal is that by 2016, seven out of 10 Thais will be mentally healthy and seven out 10 children’s analytical and emotional intelligence up to world standards.

The ministry also aims to reduce the suicide rate to 6.5 per 100,000 people, and to ensure regular treatment for at least eight out of 10 mental health patients.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Health, Three million Thais ‘mentally ill, 19/09/2012, Online Reporters, link) 


Mental Health Vocabulary

mental (adjective) - related to the mind (emotions and thinking) เกี่ยวกับจิตใจ, ซึ่งเกิดขึ้นในใจ, ซึ่งผุดขึ้นในใจ,
mentally (adverb)

mental health - (See Wikipedia)

patient - a person receiving treatment from a doctor for a disease or other medical problem คนป่วย
mental health patients

neglect - to fail to do something that you should do  ละเลย
mental health neglected 

illness (noun) - a disease; being sick
mental illness - a disease or illness related to the mind; psychiatric disorder จิตเภท, ชื่อโรคจิตชนิดหนึ่ง (See Wikipedia)

ill (adjective) - to be sick; to have a sickness
mentally ill
three million Thais mentally ill

suffer - to experience physical or mental pain
suffer from mental illness 

psychiatry - the medical specialty of treating mental illness (See Wikipedia)
psychiatrist - a doctor who treats mental illnesses (See Wikipedia)

psychiatric (adjective)
psychiatric hospital - a special hospital for treating mental illness (See Wikipedia)

psychosis - a serious mental illness that changes your behaviour and personality; affects your ability to know what is real (See Wikipedia)

anxiety - being worried about something
anxiety disorders - a mental illness when a person thinks and worries too much about things, with "fear about future uncertainties either based on real or imagined events, which may affect both physical and psychological health" (See Wikipedia)

depression - being very unhappy not able to lead a normal life) (See Wikipedia)

stroke - a medical condition is which the blood flow is suddenly stopped and cannot reach the brain อาการเส้นโลหิตในสมองแตกอย่างเฉียบพลัน
apoplexy - Same as "stroke"

At least three million Thais are known to suffer from some form or other of mental illness, Deputy Health Minister Dr Surawith Konsomboon said on Wednesday.

ceremony - a formal public event งานพิธี
attending a ceremony

He was speaking to reporters after attending a ceremony where Boon Chartpanich donated 47 rai land to be used to build a psychiatric hospital in Phitsanulok province.

conclusion - what you decide in the end, after listening to all the facts and thinking carefully about something
concluded that ... - reach the conclusion that ...
the study concluded that ...

one in every five - in a group of five items, there is one ...

common - seen often; happening often; many people have it 
common diseases - diseases that a lot of people get  
the most common diseases

Dr Surawit said the latest study by the Department of Mental Health concluded that around 20% of Thais, or about one in every five, suffer from some form of mental illness. The most common diseases were psychosis, anxiety disorders, depression and apoplexy (a stroke), he said.

registered - officially recorded with the government ซึ่งลงทะเบียนไว้, ซึ่งบันทึกไว้
nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ
only three million registered with hospitals nationwide

undergo - to experience something which is unpleasant or which involves a change ประสบ (เหตุการณ์ในด้านลบ)
treatment - the process of providing medical care การรักษา
undergo regular treatment

However, only three million of them had been registered with hospitals nationwide last year. Of these, only 1.09 million undergo regular treatment at the 17 psychiatric hospitals countrywide. He said the number of mental health patients is likely to grow each year.

urban (adjective) - related to a city or cities
urbanised (adjective) - become a city
urbanisation (noun) - the process of a place turning into a city (with a lot of people living in a small area)

fragile - easy to break or damage ที่เปราะบาง ที่หักง่าย
self centered - when a person thinks only about themselves (not their family, community or nation)

society will become more fragile and self centered

majority - more than 50 percent of a group; more than half of the people in a group ส่วนมาก  เสียงส่วนมาก
households - families or groups of people living together (economics treats this as a unit that makes decisions)

the majority of households

consist - to be made of or formed from something ประกอบด้วย
consist only of

elderly - older people, over 65 สูงวัย, อาวุโส, อายุมาก
fewer elderly people

consist only of the father, mother and their children (fewer elderly people)

role - function, position or purpose that someone or something has in a situation, organisation, society or relationship บทบาท
leading - the most important
the leading role - the position that does the most important things or tasks in some activity

play the leading role - so the most important tasks in some activity
women playing the lead role in most families

Within 15 years most of Thai society will be urbanised, especially the eastern regions, leading to more health problems among the people. "As a result of urbanisation, society will become more fragile and self centered, the majority of households are likely to consist only of the father, mother and their children (fewer elderly people), with women playing the lead role in most families,” he said.

concerned - worried about something มีความกังวล
concerned about the rising incidence of depression across the globe

priority - something important that must be done first การให้ลำดับความสำคัญ การมาก่อน สี่งที่สำคัญเป็นลำดับแรก สิ่งที่ได้รับความสนใจมากกว่า
moved depression to number two on its priority list

immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที
number two on its priority list, immediately below heart disease

ministry - a government department dealing with an area of activity กระทรวง

expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
availability - they exist and people can use them

expand the availability
plans to expand the availability
plans to expand the availability of mental health treatment

intelligence - the ability to think about things and understand them, to gain and use knowledge ความฉลาด(See Wikipedia)

analysis (noun) - the process of studying and looking at the details of how something works in order to better understand and explain it การวิเคราะห์
analytical (adjective)

analytical intelligence - what people usually call intelligence or "IQ", the ability to solve problems (See Wikipedia)
emotional intelligence - a new kind of intelligence: "the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups" (See Wikipedia)

standards - an acceptable level of quality or achievement มาตรฐาน
world standards

suicide - the act of killing yourself (See Wikipedia)
rate -  อัตรา
suicide rate- the number of people killing themselves every year

ensure - to make certain that something happens or is done รับรอง ให้ความมั่นใจ  ให้การยืนยัน
ensure regular treatment for at least eight out of 10 mental health patients

Dr Surawit said the World Health Organization is concerned about the rising incidence of depression across the globe. The WHO had recently moved depression to number two on its priority list, immediately below heart disease. Dr Surawit said the ministry plans to expand the availability mental health treatment during 2013-2016. Help would be available to all groups of people - men, women, children, young adults and the elderly. He said the goal is that by 2016, seven out of 10 Thais will be mentally healthy and seven out 10 children’s analytical and emotional intelligence up to world standards. The ministry also aims to reduce the suicide rate to 6.5 per 100,000 people, and to ensure regular treatment for at least eight out of 10 mental health patients.