from a hospital in chiang rai thailand july 13 2018 thailands ministry of public health the examining psychiatrist has reported that all 12 boys are in good mental health condition but theres concern about how the boys will fare when they return home for the first time in weeks according to piyasakol the boys and their families have been instructed to avoid all media exposure for at least one month after they are discharged out of fear it could trigger posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms the relatives need to take care of themselves and the boys everyone has to understand the health minister told reporters even though the boys will be released from the hospital in a few days they are still not strong enough and need to rest at home the concerns also extend to the boys coach who led the wild boar youth soccer team into the cave last month and has received criticism from outsiders the boys and their parents however have generally praised the coach for keeping their spirits high and deferring food to them ekapol has gained back weight quickly and is physically well but he is the one psychiatrists are most concerned about protecting from any mental angst according to piyasakol after the patients are discharged the hospital will deploy its family care team to follow up and help care for them until they make a full recovery physically and mentally more boys rescued from thailand cave are steadily recovering at hospital officials say more coach trapped with boys soccer team in thai cave apologizes to parents in handwritten letter members of the wild boars football team at a hospital in chiang rai thailand in a photo released by the government thai government via afpgetty images the boys ages 11 to 16 and their coach became trapped inside tham luang nang non thailands longest cave during a hike june 23 the caves 6milelong labyrinth of chambers and passageways stretch all the way into neighboring myanmar its believed the coach often took the teammates into the caves main entrance in khun nam nang non forest park for fun excursions after soccer practice two boys who are part of the team but were not present for illfated hike told abc news that going into the cave was a sort of rite of passage and teambuilding exercise but as the group ventured deeper into the cave that afternoon the sky opened up and it began to rain the downpour sent floodwater rushing into the mouth of the cave and cut off their exit route the group forged ahead until finding a dry raised slope where they remained stranded in total darkness for days after they didnt return from their hike thai officials launched an extensive searchandrescue operation involving well over 1000 people including specialists drafted from various nations such as australia china japan the united kingdom and the united states persistent rain initially impeded efforts to locate the group but two british divers found all 13 alive on