What Thailand can teach us about mental health
Why we need to invest in mental health and how to ensure that investment brings change and empathy for those living with mental health disorders.
Advocate of mental health and mental well-being. Having been through depression and schizophrenia, Sanju understands the need for a more compassionate and empathetic world. Currently developing an application called Sati App, which has 3 phases of development: the first phase is going to provide "on-demand listening" services via a mobile application which hopes to help create an army of empathetic listeners and potentially reduce the suicide rate by creating a safe space for people to share their feelings; the second phase is creating an online forum where experts and people who suffer from mental health problems can share their own experience and help one another out; the best mental health experts are those who have lived through it; the third phase is developing an affordable and accessible "tele-psychotherapy" clinic. Aims to use mobile phones to make appointments and contact psychiatrists via a mobile application. Base on personal experience, there is a 400% difference in treatment rates between getting treatment at a public hospital vs private hospital and a person will have to spend at least 4-5 hours more at a public hospital. Aims to set a ceiling for treatment rates so that everyone is able to access and afford high-quality treatment.
Why we need to invest in mental health and how to ensure that investment brings change and empathy for those living with mental health disorders.
We need to break the social stigma around mental health, writes Amornthep Sachamuneewongse. Thailand needs more psychiatrists and more beds for people with mental health problems.