The death of Jaruwit Janthet, a 17-year-old student who committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of his school building in Si Sa Ket on Aug 10, has sparked concern over bullying in schools and the need to raise awareness about teen suicide and depression among Thais.
Last week, horrifying footage of the Mathayom 6 student committing suicide began circulating on social media. In the clip, the teen was spotted crossing to the ledge on the fifth floor of a building at Sisaketwittayalai School and walked slowly along the border.
A few students from the opposite building noticed him and initially thought it was just a prank. They continued chatting but soon realised that something was wrong and started yelling at him to stop.
Without looking back, the boy walked towards the end of the ledge, looked down, and squatted there. The other students started shouting and screaming but it was too late as the depressed youngster took the plunge.
He was rushed to the hospital but his injuries were too severe and he ended up dying at the hospital. Police are investigating the cause of the suicide and many believe it was due to the teasing he received at school.
At first, media outlets reported he was teased for being overweight.
Boonyawee Mekganjai, a classmate of Jaruwit, insisted no classmates had made fun of him for being fat. In fact, the boy -- who is also known as Ohm --was loved by all.
"He spent most of the time alone on his mobile phone. He had no close friends, always sat alone in class and rarely joined extracurricular activities. Everyone loved him and tried to talk to him as much as we could, but he did not talk much," Boonyawee said.
There were also reports the boy may also have been pushed by family issues as his parents had split up and he was upset after his mother failed to show up for a Mothers' Day ceremony at the school on Aug 10.
The school denied reports classmates had teased Jaruwit for being fat and also insisted there was no ceremony where students' mothers were invited. His parents, meanwhile, have refused to talk to journalists.
"It's true that our school held a Mothers' Day ceremony on Aug 10, but we did not invite mothers of all students to join. We only invited mothers of 18 representative students, so it's impossible this event would be the cause of Jaruwit's suicide," Pichai Pongpreaw, deputy director of Sisaketwittayalai School.
Banjob Chaiyasan, the boy's class teacher, said Jaruwit was a quiet boy who did not speak much to people or get involved in school life.
"As his teacher, I noticed there was something wrong with him and planned to visit his home to talk to his parents by the end of this month, but it was too late," the teacher said.
Mr Banjob said he had heard that Jaruwit did not spend much time with his parents and was raised by his grandmother because his parents had split up since he was a kid.
"There is no point blaming the parents or the school for failing to detect any attention-seeking behaviour at this time because nobody knows the real reason for his suicide. The boy is dead and I think we all have to take responsibility." he said,
"Instead of blaming each other, all parties should take this opportunity to raise awareness about suicide prevention and the danger of bullying among youth, parents and teachers nationwide to help other precious lives from being lost," he said.
LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
QUIET AND 'MUCH-LOVED': Boonyawee Mekganjai
Suriyadeo Tripathi, director of the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD) at Mahidol University, said Jaruwit's death shows that schools, parents and society at large are not doing enough to prevent teen suicide.
Suicide rarely occurs without warning signs, so intervention and recognition at the right time can save lives. Suicide can be prevented if people act on the red flags.
"In the case of Jaruwit, you can see that signs of depression such as choosing to be alone and avoiding friends or social activities at school had been noticed at school, but no one took them seriously because nobody knows about suicide prevention," he said.
Dr Suriyadeo criticised the education system for only focusing on academic success and relying too much on a high-stakes testing system which creates a stressful environment for students.
"Schools put a lot of pressure on students, expecting them to do well in their studies, but fail to equip them with skills to cope with life's challenges. Meanwhile, parents also spend less and less time with their kids. They are worrying about making money and assume that money can buy happiness," the expert said.
He urged schools, parents and society to do a better job at preventing teen suicide.
Dr Suriyadeo recommended schools set up suicide-screening programmes as many studies have found that schools with such programmes can detect double the number of at-risk students as other schools.
He said parents should also educate themselves on the causes of suicide and be ready to provide support to their children during periods of stress and depression.
"If your child is under stress, you must be a safe person they can talk to about difficult topics. Parental support can to reduce the risk of teen suicides," he said.
NICFD director said although mental illness has become more widespread now, and is less stigmatised than in the past, visiting a psychiatrist can still be a cause of embarrassment for some in Thai society.
Therefore, he urged Thais to get over the hang-up and encourage those who are struggling with mental health problems to get help from professionals.
"We should keep in mind that suicide is preventable if warning signs are noticed," Dr Suriyadeo said.
EARLY RECOGNITION KEY
Somrak Chuwanichwong, psychiatrist at Srithanya mental hospital, said early recognition of mental illnesses, early diagnosis, and referral to appropriate treatment can greatly improve the lives of adolescents and young adults.
When young people who suffer from emotional or mental health problems get help through counselling and other treatment, it can change the course of their lives.
Research shows that teens with mental health problems who do get appropriate treatment have increased academic test scores, and that effective mental health interventions and a positive school climate contribute to improved student achievement.
SPOTTING THE SIGNS
According to a psychiatrist, there are warning signs that a person may be at risk of suicide. For example, excessive sadness or moodiness, sudden calmness, choosing to be alone and avoiding friends or social activities, changes in personality, self-harmful behaviour and threatening to suicide.
"If you notice a drastic change in someone's behaviour that includes warning signs of suicide, don't hesitate or assume someone else will intervene. Taking an active role to check on them could save their life," he said.
"You may be the only one who is noticing the change and who reaches out," he said. "Everyone has a role to play in preventing suicide."
The best thing you can do if you're unsure whether someone is suicidal is to start an honest, caring conversation in which you do more listening than you do talking, he suggested.
"If you pick up on signs that they're feeling trapped, hopeless, or depressed, don't skirt around the topic -- you can ask them directly if they're having suicidal thoughts. If you've created a safe environment to have this conversation, they will feel a sense of relief that they've been able to share this experience with someone who's not judging them," he said.
BULLYING ON THE RISE
There is a link between bullying and suicide and school bullying is now a major cause of depression and suicide among youth, experts say. A study by the Department of Mental Health (DMH) found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying.
DMH director-general Boonruang Triruangworawat said bullying-related suicide can be linked to any type of bullying, both physical and emotional.
"Bullying is not just part of being a kid as many adults think. it is a serious problem that leads to many negative effects for victims, including suicide," he said.
According to DMH, bullying among children in Thailand is on the rise with a world ranking second only to Japan.
Dr Boonruang said bullying in schools happens as early as kindergarten as children imitate violence from online media. Studies following the condition of youth and children in every province of Thailand found about 600,000 children are bullied at school, accounting for about 40%, he said.
The percentage has risen as a study in 2010 found 33% of students said they bullied others online.
Bullying is the beginning of the cultivation of violent behaviour, both for those who bully others and those who were bullied, he said.