Homepage > Thai Youth Issues > New service looking out for young

Date: August 30th, 2001, Bangkok Post

Advice offered on drugs, depression

Anjira Assavanonda

The Institute of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, a new service, will pass on to families how to take proper care of the younger generation.

The service, which opened yesterday, was developed from the Child Mental Health Centre set up 32 years ago to solve child behavioural and mental health problems. It is on Rama VI road, opposite Ramathibodi hospital. Vinai Viriyakijja, the Mental Health Department head, said the institute would come up with solutions to reduce the impact of the economic and social crisis on children, who had become vulnerable to many kinds of temptation.

The impact was reflected in problems such as drugs, sex in school, the sex trade among school and university students, cyber sex, and unwanted pregnancy. ``Today we heard news about a nine-year-old child killing a three-year-old. This shows the problems have been aggravating,'' said Dr Vinai.

The institute would act as a resource centre to pass on knowledge to concerned groups, particularly families.

``The family is a key player in our society. It can be both the cause of many problems and the solution. If we have troubled children, go back to their home and we'll know how to correct them,'' he said.

Dr Pravej Tantiphivatanasakul, the institute's director, said staff would work with other agencies such as juvenile observation centres to provide guidelines on how to improve mental health. ``Today news reports about children are mostly negative, and solutions are rarely mentioned. Actually, the situation is not that bad. We still have hope and such problems can be eased with appropriate methods,'' said Dr Pravej.

The institute has a website at allowing children, parents and school teachers to chat and share their problems.

``Children who enter the website are from a variety of backgrounds,'' said Dr Amporn Benjapolpitak, who also works at the institute. ``Some have questions about sex, while many are concerned about their education, like feeling depressed after failing to pass the entrance exam,'' she said. The institute also welcomed parents wanting advice, such as how to deal with hyperactive kids, what to do if children get hooked on drugs, and how to intervene when they get depressed.