The recent wave of shootings and constant fear over the coronavirus recalls what Claudius said in Hamlet: "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions". And these "battalions" of sorrow have been plunging Thais into deep depression.
However, some individuals have decided to light the candle of hope and boost public morale.
Kulvadee Thongpibul, a clinical psychologist, said the Feb 8 mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima will have caused traumatic stress for many, making them sad, frustrated and hopeless -- all early signs of depression.
"Normally patients can recover from traumatic stress, provided they see the doctor if the symptoms have lasted longer than a month. I have just counselled an American expat, who never expected a mass shooting in Thailand, even though it is quite common in his country.
"The coronavirus outbreak, meanwhile, is also causing anxiety in everyday life. People are worried about their safety when they are in public places," she told the Bangkok Post.
Nongnuch Jumparat, a counselling psychologist, said a series of unfortunate events can have a domino effect on mental health.
"Victims lose hope and drive those around them to despair unintentionally, creating a sort of ripple effect in the community, which causes everyone to wonder what is wrong with our society. This makes us suffer from stress collectively. If this persists, it can alter our brain chemicals, which in turn boosts the chance of developing depression," she said, adding the environment and genetics are the other two factors in mental disorder.
Ms Nongnuch said the number of her patients has risen recently by 80%.
"Some of the patients lost family members in the killing spree, while others are rescue officers who are still in shock over the rescue operation. Some are anxious about catching the new coronavirus, which makes them depressed, insecure and hopeless about their lives. You can see this manifest in negative posts on social media," she said.
Ms Nongnuch added that empathy was key to healing, because people struggle to deal with trauma on their own.
"I encourage my patients to share their feelings openly so they can return to normal life as soon as possible. Another method is social support whereby victims gather to empower themselves to overcome their difficulties," she said.
Post-disaster mental health
Noppadon Kannika, managing director of the Super Poll, said Thais are now suffering an "emotional crisis".
"According to our surveys, most Thais are feeling gloomy because these incidents have had a negative impact on their morale. Political turmoil is another concern. Leaders should ride out the storm, or it will make people sick and tired of what is happening around them. Our working team agrees authorities need to inform the public about post-crisis emotional management, especially for victims of the Nakhon Ratchasima [Korat] mass shooting," he said.
Meanwhile, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, director-general of the Public Mental Health Department, said the shooting rampage in Korat, the fatal shooting in a Bangkok mall which took place last week, occurring as they did in a short time of each other can lead to stress, fear and anxiety.
"We advise people to avoid following the news and posting abusive comments. Instead, share your feelings with people close to you or seek counselling from experts," he said.
Varoth Chotpitayasunondh, spokesman at the Department of Mental Health, said the Ministry of Public Health will put together teams to screen people's mental health in order to assess the impact these shocking events have had on people.
Beacon of hope
Kanpassorn Suriyasangpetch, a co-founder of online mental health counseling OOCA, said services were provided for free to victims of the Korat shooting from Feb 9 to 17.
"A total of 27 victims sought help from our psychologists and psychiatrists after making contact on Facebook. Some were survivors of the shooting spree, while others were those who were affected by the sound of gunshots, ambulance sirens and clips posted on YouTube Live by victims calling for help," she said.
Nimit Titithkul, president of Semathai Marionette Arts for Social Foundation, said he will use puppets to provide counselling for victims at the Korat Art Care centre over the weekend.
"We encourage them to express their feelings artistically, because they often struggle to articulate their pain. Art will teach them to see beauty in their own suffering. In a depiction of the children's classic, 'Little Red Riding Hood', young people will learn about the value of courage, while in 'Imaginary Town', they will get to use objects of different shapes to represent emotions as part of our therapy," he said.
Help yourself by helping others
Kitkawee Pono, chief of the Mobile Community Assertive Treatment Team (MCATT), said victims of the mass shooting are now going through the stage of normalisation.
"The Department of Mental Health is letting outsiders engage with them as they are making gradual recovery from the incident. We encourage them to do volunteer work to boost their morale.
"We are also sending staff to follow up on other victims at home. Bystanders suffering from stress can also call our 1323 hotline. So far, around 30 people have reached out to us," he said.
Phithak Yotha, 41, owner of Charawi Massage in Bangkok's Mengjai area, said her shop will provide free massage to help counter the drop off in custom caused by the virus, though people are encouraged to give tips to the masseurs.
"The massage is free, but please tip the masseurs so they have some money to survive," he said.
Mr Phithak told Bangkok Post that the shop employs more than 100 masseurs, and they usually served up to 500 Chinese tourists daily. However, since mid-January, the stop has been empty, though after the announcement on Friday, customers did start trickling in.
"I feel sad because I owe some money to the bank, but I can survive for a while.
However, it is tougher for the masseurs as they earn daily wages. A masseur called me the other day saying she only had 16 baht in her pocket, which was not enough to cover her commute," he said.
He said he came up with the idea of providing free massages from his will to provide moral support to tour guides.
"Tour guides are our partners. Now they have nothing to do, so I invited them to come and get free massage at my shop," he said.
Mr Phithak said he has also been getting moral support from his employees.
"They are holding on, so why can't I? I should be there to support them," he said.
In Phuket, where tourism and related businesses rely heavily on the 3 million or so Chinese tourists visiting the island every year, hundreds of people have suddenly found themselves out of a job and are struggling to survive.
A study by a Prince of Songkla University research team at Phuket campus found the island has lost an estimated 32 billion baht in tourism income since January, which is similar to the losses it incurred during the 2004 tsunami.
Most of those who have lost their jobs as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak are tour guides and workers hired by businesses that relied largely on Chinese tourists.
Many of the unemployed have returned to their hometowns as they cannot cope with the high cost of living in Phuket, while some have switched jobs by becoming food delivery staff or providing Chinese translation services.
Also, in a move to help mitigate the impact this crisis is having on workers, the Thai-Chinese tourism association in Phuket is offering free meals to affected tour guides and other workers from 9am to 5pm daily, said Suraphong Sae-lo, the association's president.
She added that an average of 150 people use this service daily.
Spiritual support at help
Suganda Sinkajit, a deputy news editor at Thai PBS, 45, said she often organises spiritual trips for friends, and usually focuses on sacred sites in Bangkok.
Her trips will typically include the Bangkok City Pillar Shrine, the Emerald Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Kaew) and Guan Yin or Goddess of Mercy shrine in Yaowarat.
"I go to these places with my family and close friends. Now, others have started sending me messages asking to join. I have organised such trips for up to 50 people already. I never thought I'd be able to do that before," she said.
"I don't charge them. I just take them there for their happiness."
As the sister of a jewellery shop owner, she said she has been feeling the pain of the sluggish economy since last year.
It has become worse this year, with shopping malls staying empty even after turning into air-conditioned flea markets.
Owing to the air-pollution problem, the Covid-19 pandemic and shootings, people are preferring to stay indoors.
"Many people who have joined me are business owners. They want to make merit and do good. Once they do this, they feel better, see their lives getting easier and want to do more," she said, adding the people don't just donate to temples but also to people in need.
"This sense of giving is not something that should ever be underestimated," she said.