Bangkok Post – App finds teens in need of mental health help

Nearly 20% of Thai adolescents are at risk of self-harm, according to the Department of Mental Health (DMH).

This revelation highlights the need to pay particular attention to mental health problems among young people, observers say.

DMH Director Dr. Kittisak Aksornwong said Friday that 503,884 adolescents aged 18 and under registered on its mental health registration app from February 12, 2022 to October 14 this year.

The app is an essential mental health self-assessment and risk screening tool for mental health issues, with a channel for users to seek advice from experts online.

Of these, 51,789 users, or 10.28 percent, could be at risk of depression, and 87,718, or 17.4 percent, are at risk of self-harm, it said.

“These numbers not only reflect the urgent need for mental health care among adolescents, but also serve as a wake-up call that we all need to work together to solve this problem,” said Dr. Kittisak.

However, solving mental health problems, especially in the digital age, cannot be the job of government alone.

This requires the cooperation of all sectors, including government, the private sector and civil society, he said.

Director of the Department of Medical Health Dr. Kittisak Aksornwong speaks at the launch of the TikTok Mindful Makers campaign in Samyan Mitrtown on Friday. (Photo: Department of Medical Health)

He cited TikTok as an example of a platform that is influential among teenagers, for whom technology and social media play an essential role in daily life.

“Creating an online space that is safe, responsible and promotes good mental health is a challenge that we must all work together to tackle,” he said.

DMH has partnered with TikTok Thailand to launch the TikTok Mindful Makers campaign and the new app “Sati”, developed to provide access to safe, confidential, anonymous and on-demand listening services provided by trained listeners.

The TikTok Mindful Makers campaign works with the World Health Organization and the Mental Health Trust Network to spread information about mental health and create an online community of support and understanding, and a more compassionate and understanding society , he declared.

Chanida Klyphun, public policy manager for TikTok Thailand, said Mindful Makers has more than 13 billion views worldwide.

Making the platform a safe space for everyone is essential for it to become a creative space, she said.