Lonely & Depressed in Thailand?

[Dodger]

It’s well-documented that “loneliness” can cause a number of health-related issues for seniors, including increased risk mortality, depression, cognitive decline, dementia care, high blood pressure, alcoholism and drug use, altered brain function, Alzheimer's disease progression, antisocial behavior, cardiovascular disease and stroke, decreased memory and learning, increased stress levels, depression and suicide. That’s some pretty serious stuff, especially for us expats.

Since the Pandemic hatched 15 months ago, I’ve watched several expat friends slip into various states of depression from a sense of loneliness, and I feel helpless to do anything to help them. Jai and I have to keep ourselves in check to make sure we’re not falling down the same spiral, and when we find ourselves becoming agitated, overly anxious, or getting angry over trivial things, we try to refocus, regain our footing, and take some kind of positive action.

The friends I’m referring to, are normally very active and positive-thinking people, although, the longer this Pandemic keeps dragging on, the more depressed they seem to be getting. They often talk about the strains of having their social lives disrupted, and the sense of loneliness they’re challenged with now. What I’ve been seeing a lot of lately are things like; signs of fatigue, loss of energy, forgetfulness, lack of motivation/energy, and bouts of anger. Other signs I’ve witnessed include rapid weight gain or loss, increased alcohol consumption, or a sense of panic, where a person effected by this type of depression wants to just run away, or jump ship.

There’s no doubt that loneliness caused by the Pandemic is contributing in an increase in depression in the expat community, but what can people do about it?

Any constructive thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

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