On average more than 80 young people aged under 18 commit a crime each day, 96% of whom suffer from at least one mental condition associated with drug addiction, according to the Department of Mental Health (DMH).
In 2016, a total of 30,356 people aged under 18 committed a crime, or about 83 people a day, said DMH director-general Dr Boonruang Triruangworawat, citing statistics by the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection.
Of them, 93% were male and almost 90% were aged between 15-18 years old, he said.
Most offences committed (41%) were linked to narcotics, while the second most common offence (20%) was theft, he said.
The DMH found in its study that as many as 96% of the teenage delinquents suffered one or more mental conditions, a rate about five times higher than in ordinary teenagers, said the doctor.
The most common problem found in this group of young people (84%) was substance abuse, while antisocial behaviour was found in about 34%, he said.
About 79%, or four in five people, had more than two mental problems, he said.
The department also found in the same study that many young people began drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or cannabis or using methamphetamine at very young ages of between seven and nine, he said. This heightened the risk of addiction and them later developing mental conditions, he said.
Because, they start at a very young age, treatment for their mental health conditions would likely be far more complicated than usual, he said.
All these conditions were mainly the result of poor parenting, he said.
Meanwhile, a total of 10,712 youngsters in 2015 were victims of crime, or about 30 per day, he said, citing statistics compiled by crisis support centres at state hospitals nationwide.
The majority of teenage victims were female, with many of them being sexually assaulted by someone they knew, he said.
Dr Sarutphan Chakkraphan na Ayutthaya, director of Galya Rajanagarindra Institute, said those with problems need sufficient access to treatment and care.
