Thai Mental Health Department’s Hope Task Force tackles suicides

In a bid to combat the alarming surge in suicide attempts, the Department of Mental Health (DMH) leads an initiative to amplify its Hope Task Force network to a provincial scale.

After a staggering 31,000-plus suicide attempts rocked the nation last year, the DMH is leaving no stone unturned in its mission to save lives.

DMH Deputy Director-General, Sirisak Thitidilokrat, emphasised the necessity of expanding alert channels.

“The expansion of the alert channels is to create an interface where suicide risk cases will be efficiently linked and transferred. It is an important mechanism for integrating contributions towards helping, assisting and sending individuals who could be a suicide risk into the treatment system as well as exchanging information to prevent suicides and monitor those at risk.”

Dudsadee Juengsirakulwit, director of the DMH’s Mental Health Service Administration Bureau, highlighted the dire consequences of mental health disorders, particularly the alarming prevalence of suicide. According to statistics for Thailand, a staggering 31,402 individuals attempted suicide in the 2023 fiscal year, averaging 48.19 attempts per 100,000 citizens. Dr Dudsadee noted that suicide signals may manifest through social media posts and online messages.

Since its inception in 2020, the DMH, in collaboration with the Crime Suppression Division, the Royal Thai Police, and influential social media personalities such as Mo Lap Panda, Drama-addict, and Mam Pho Dam, formed the Hope Task Force. This initiative aims to reach out to individuals exhibiting suicide signals online, providing them with timely assistance, reported Bangkok Post.

Dr Dudsadee further disclosed that between October 9, 2020, and December 31 last year, the task force successfully prevented 599 individuals from taking their own lives. She hailed this achievement as a model for future mental health initiatives, underlining the effectiveness and importance of proactive intervention.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.