Thailand's Evolving Attitude Toward Mental Health [Season 3, Episode 79]

Greg interviews Rex de Koening and Johanna de Koening
Schaaij from New Counseling Service,
who have been working as therapists in Thailand since 2001. Rex
and Johanna begin by explaining that traditionally in Thailand
there was no concept of mental health other than the idea that a
person is either fine or crazy - nothing in between. Slowly this
idea has been changing, however, sparked significantly by the
tsunami crisis of 2004, which caused large scale trauma. Johanna
notes that traditional sources of emotional support - the family,
monks, and fortune tellers - are playing less of a role in modern
Thai life, especially in Bangkok, where many people are working
long hours, often estranged from their families or home
towns. 


Rex discusses his and Johanna's deep understanding of Thai
culture, which comes from their decades of experience treating
Thais with a variety of mental health issues, from depression and
anxiety to obsessive-compulsive disorder and ADHD. Johanna talks
about the changing role of the family in both Thailand and the
West, which may be the root cause of the rise in
attention-related disorders, among others. 


As always, the podcast will continue to be
100% funded by listeners just like you who get
some special swag from us. And we'll keep our
Facebook, Twitter,
and LINE accounts active so you can
send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to
share.