Is depression and suicide a curse of the rich?

[newkidontheblock]

Random musings...

It seems like quite a few foreigners keep killing themselves in the KOW. Generally because they have been dealing with depression for a long time and now called it quits. Usually, they have it all - good job, family, special someone, etc. and then end it all. Even the locals that make it to the comfortable life (a couple of the singers, etc.), also commit suicide, too.

What is strange is that the barang a jai (man that collects metal cans), doesn’t kill himself on the street. Nor do most of the homeless foreigners that beg, cheat, and steal to survive.

Nor do all the poor Khmer that flood the cities. Be it Mr. Tuk Tuk man that’s trying to hustle girls, boys, guns, drugs to any passing foreigner, to the taxi girl trying to get a foreign sponsor (or two). Often from much worse backgrounds and living lives far more wretched than the average westerner.

Their lives are much worse, yet no mass suicides.

So is depression and suicide a curse of the rich? When one isn’t facing destitution, starvation, and death on a daily basis, does that give time for ideas of depression to take hold?

This is in no way belittling a serious psychiatric disease, but just random musings...

Let the stone throwing begin!

[Kampong Spooner]

A cursory glance at any local news looks like this:

Traffic accidents,
ice addict busts,
murder/rape,
poor people killing themselves for a variety of reasons,
one sided politics.

So, to answer you question, no. Not by a long shot.

[Duncan]

Random musings...

It seems like quite a few foreigners keep killing themselves in the KOW. Generally because they have been dealing with depression for a long time and now called it quits. Usually, they have it all - good job, family, special someone, etc. and then end it all. Even the locals that make it to the comfortable life (a couple of the singers, etc.), also commit suicide, too.

What is strange is that the barang a jai (man that collects metal cans), doesn’t kill himself on the street. Nor do most of the homeless foreigners that beg, cheat, and steal to survive.

Nor do all the poor Khmer that flood the cities. Be it Mr. Tuk Tuk man that’s trying to hustle girls, boys, guns, drugs to any passing foreigner, to the taxi girl trying to get a foreign sponsor (or two). Often from much worse backgrounds and living lives far more wretched than the average westerner.

Their lives are much worse, yet no mass suicides.

So is depression and suicide a curse of the rich? When one isn’t facing destitution, starvation, and death on a daily basis, does that give time for ideas of depression to take hold?

This is in no way belittling a serious psychiatric disease, but just random musings...

Let the stone throwing begin!

You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.

[John Bingham]

Be it Mr. Tuk Tuk man that’s trying to hustle girls, boys, guns, drugs to any passing foreigner...

How many tuk-tuk drivers do that? Very few I'd guess.

[hanno]

News are full of poor folks topping themselves.

[JohnLeonard]

Its really alarming.
Whats it that makes KOW place that attracts all these suicides, i have never seen this rate of suicides and deaths of foreigners in other SEA country apart from Thailand which i have never been and have no idea about it.

[bangkokhooker]

probably because they dont report every suicide.

only if they are mildly “famous” or its interesting

[Felgerkarb]

Are depression and suicide a curse? Yes. Full stop.

[Jimmy Crow]

no! The only curse of the rich is poor people

[beaker]

Lots of people drink the kool-aide and are under the false assumption that having money will make them happy when in reality they have just wasted the best years of their lives chasing the all mighty dollar and have more complications and problems and are no happier.