Worrying rise in Thai youth suicides

Suicide has become the fourth major cause of death from injury as young people increasingly take their own lives.

Paijit Warachit, permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, said yesterday that the Bureau of Epidemiology’s injury watch in 2008 found that 30 major hospitals’ emergency rooms had admitted 7,237 people suffering from self-inflicted injuries with the intent of committing suicide.

They accounted for 2 per cent of the year’s 366,400 patients from all injuries.

Altogether, 439 people succeeded in taking their own lives, making up 7 per cent of all fatalities from injuries.

Citing reports from 2004-2008, Paijit said there was a growing trend of people hurting themselves in suicide attempts every year.

AsiaOne News