High suicide risk among Bangkok youths seeking mental health support: DMH
Over 60% of young people in Greater Bangkok seeking online mental health advice are at risk of depression, while 43.6% are at risk of suicide, according to findings by the Department of Mental Health.
The findings come from data collected from over 1,200 users of the DMH’s online consulting platform “Mental Health Check In”, which launched on January 1.
The platform offers free consultations to young people aged 15-25 who are experiencing mental difficulties.
Data from its first few months also showed that 58.2 of users said they were experiencing severe pressure, added the department.
Dr Pongkasem Khaimook, director-general of the DMH, said on Tuesday that offering the free online consultations was an important step in detecting issues early, which will aid efficient prevention and treatment of serious mental health problems.
Operating under the theme “Growing up is never easy, but you don’t have to face it alone”, the platform offers mental health advice from psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists and volunteer health workers. Multiple sessions are available for young people who require them.
The DMH worked with the Wall of Sharing Association to create the Mental Health Check In platform, with collaboration from the Ooca mobile app and the National Health Security Office.
The platform is open until September 31 and is expected to serve some 2,500 users in total.
To use Mental Health Check In, download the Ooca app, available for both iOS and Android devices.
