BANGKOK, 20th July 2019 (NNT) The Department of Mental Health has launched the “OOCA” application to provide an online consultation channel to reduce the risk of depression and suicide among children and adolescents.
Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrachit, Director-General of the Department of Mental Health, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Telemetica Co., Ltd. within the Kamphaeng Phak Jai Project. The “OOCA” application will be used to provide an online consultation channel to reduce the risk of depression and suicide among children and adolescents. Online psychiatrists or psychologists will provide a service through a virtual hospital or an online hospital that is more convenient to access. Patients can request a consultation wherever they are and there is a high level of privacy.
The Kamphaeng Phak Jai Project is a pilot project to assist and support mental health work among undergraduate students in public universities who can request a consultation via the online hospital system free of charge. The service is to be expanded to cover children and adolescents aged 10-24. Experts with knowledge based on academic principles and psychological counseling. are able to listen to and analyze the patients’ problems. The Department of Mental Health has also developed a system to effect the transfer of patients to a hospital or a mental health clinic to ensure continuous care and has set a goal of reducing the rate of suicide among children and adolescents aged 10-24 from the present 300 people per year to 150 people a year.
