HealthMin Warns of Post-Songkran Depression

Songkran Sendoff: Revelers engage in water fights on Silom Road, Bangkok on April 15, 2019.

BANGKOK — Stress, anxiety and insomnia may await those returning from their Songkran vacations, the Ministry of Public Health said Tuesday.

These various afflictions, collectively referred to by the ministry as “post-holiday blues,” could be caused by an abrupt return to normal life after a four-day vacation, according to a statement released by the mental health department’s director Kiattiphum Wongrachit.

“If you suffer from post-holiday blues, you may feel exhausted despite a prolonged rest. You may also suffer from stress, anxiety, a loss of appetite, insomnia and not want to go back to study or work,” Kiattiphum said today.

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The warning came as millions make a long journey back to Bangkok from their hometowns or vacation spots. Traffic police said some major roads were already congested by Tuesday morning.

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“At first, people may not perform work with full efficiency, especially if they went on a long vacation,” Kiattiphum said. “The chance of post-holiday blues occurring is higher than if they’d gone on a short one.”

The director suggested a variety of remedies for those suffering from the post-holiday blues, such as writing down goals, talking to other people and finding “new excitements.”