About 4,000 Thais kill themselves each year and the elderly are the second-most at-risk group due to poor relationships with their families, physical illness and depression, a senior health official said Tuesday.
The official's comments came after the suspected suicide of former deputy national police chief Pol Gen Salang Bunnag on Sunday in a plunge from the 7th floor of a shopping centre in Nonthaburi.
Boonruang Triruangworawat, director-general of the Department of Mental Health (DMH), said working-age people are more prone to attempts on their own life but the proportion is changing as Thailand becomes a greying society.
Dr Boonruang said the number of elderly citizens aged 60 and older is expected to surge to 14.9 million within eight years.
Many struggle to adapt as their health ails and become overwhelmed with stress, anxiety and unhappiness, he said.
To address this problem the department divides them into three groups: Patients with Alzheimer's disease who have mental and behavioural problems; elderly people who are bedridden and suffering from one or more chronic diseases; and elderly people who are in good health physically and mentally.
The department has rolled out preventive measures by linking databases of people who have attempted suicide and failed, he added.
Social Development and Human Security Minister Anantaporn Kanjanarat said the elderly in Thailand are increasing at a rate of about 500,000 each year.
He said the nation will be a fully fledged ageing society by 2021, when 20% of the population will be elderly.
The fertility rate will also have decreased to 500,000-600,000 newborns a year, down from 800,000-900,000 at present, he added, causing a drop in the demographic of those aged 15-25.
According to figures supplied by the Social Assistance Centre, the number of elderly who have gone missing has also jumped 10-fold in three years.
The number of those who have been swindled or otherwise exploited by other family members surged by a similar amount from 2005-2013, the statistics showed.
The elderly require further protection as many are vulnerable to physical assault or even sexual abuse from relations or acquaintances, Gen Anantaporn said.
Others suffer from a range of mental disorders or frequently abuse alcohol or drugs, he added.
The Public Heath Ministry has assigned Khon Kaen Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital to come up with suicide-prevention measures.
Hospital director Nattakorn Jampathong said a mobile app called Sabai Jai ("feel at ease") was launched to try and help curb the suicide rate.
He also urged the public to remain vigilant for five vulnerable groups: psychiatric patients; those who have suffered a huge loss or survived a violent incident; people who have already attempted suicide at least once; people who display aggressive behaviour; and patients with one or more chronic diseases.
The DMH runs a 24-hour hotline for those in need. It can be reached by dialling 1323.
