Fighting an Invisible War, Mental Well-being: The 2nd Thai University Network for Health Promotion Network National Academic Conference

While universities are fostering life-long learning to their students, it is also important to be aware of health, and in this day and age there has been a sharp increase in mental health concerns. On 21 - 22 March 2024, the ASEAN University Network - Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN) organized the 2^nd Thai University Network for Health Promotion Network (TUN-HPN) National Academic Conference at Montien Hotel Surawong Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand. This annual conference served as  an excellent platform for TUN-HPN universities to share health promotion initiatives and best practices once a year within the network and other Thai universities. It has also seen more than double in terms of growth, with over 220 participants comprising lecturers, university staff, and medical practitioners, signifying a notable increase in awareness towards health promotion. This year’s annual conference has a strong focus on raising mental health awareness with the theme: “Building a Culture of Health Promotion: Fostering Mental Health Awareness and Support on Campus”. 

To begin the conference, the opening ceremony was initiated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thunwadee Suksaroj, Manager of Secretariat AUN-HPN. This was then followed by welcoming speeches delivered by Dr. Nuttapun Supaka; Director of Partnership and International Affairs Section, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti; Executive Director of ASEAN University Network, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chuthamanee Suthisisang; Acting Director of ASEAN Institute for Health Development and Executive Director of AUN-HPN. An opening speech welcoming all participants and the keynote speakers was then delivered by Prof. Dr. Narin Hiransuthikul, M.D.; Chair of the TUN-HPN Committee and Vice President of Chulalongkorn University. This signified the start of the first day of the national academic conference, where keynote speakers from educational and medical fields in Thailand presented their latest research and initiatives in fighting this invisible war that is all in the mindscape.

Dr. Varoth Chotpitayasunondh, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) presented the results of studies that had particular focus on the signals of change and megatrends in order to see the big picture to solve the issue. This foresight study has drawn out 5 possible scenarios for Thailand in 2033.

1. Terror outburst
2. Opportunity in adversity
3. Packs of lone wolves
4. Decentralized mental well-being
5. Land of smiling minds

Terror outburst stands to be the worst outcome, a society where mental issues are left unresolved and reaches a boiling point of a society that resorts to extreme measures of coping mechanisms such as alcohol, drugs, and other destructive measures. Children will drop out of schools, there will be a lack of quality workforce, and suicidal rates will be at an all time high. Opportunity in adversity speaks to the extreme adaptability of humanity, where in this outcome society does not break, but the pressure of life instead strengthens the minds of people to greater resilience. In the outcome for Packs of lone wolves, the intense competition of society, stress, depression, and loneliness has pushed people towards avoidance and isolation. In Decentralized mental well-being, society and community bands together and work in harmony to ensure positive well-being as a whole for everyone. The most ideal outcome of all, the Land of smiling minds, sees the people of Thailand with the healthiest of mental states for all different groups of people with no intervention necessary.

Prof. Dr. Narin Hiransuthikul, M.D.; Chair of the TUN-HPN Committee and Vice President of CU expressed his interest for a full push on mental health issues that has been in line with his mission to achieve a zero suicide mortality rate in CU and strongly urged other universities to follow his path in achieving this for other institutions as well. From his experience, it is crucial to commit to early intervention as the destructive behaviors of unhealthy mental states emerge if festered for too long. In fact, he has also observed a recent shift from suicidal, to homicidal where life-threatening dangers are no longer limited to only the patient, but now includes the possibility of victims.

Dr. Nattasuda Taephant, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University presented their current initiatives in identifying mental health issues among students and staff. Afterall, the mind is the first layer of defenses, but health policies also need enforcement in order to achieve prevention in the first place. What has been devised are indicators that are helpful for “scoping” the mental health of patients. Based on the patient’s disorder and risk factors, the scoping can determine appropriate protective factors and potential outcomes before committing to action.

Dr. Sirawaj Itthipuripat, Assistant Professor in Neurosciences, Neuroscience Center for Research and Innovation Learning Institute King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, gave incredible insight on the steps that have been taken towards integrating neurotechnology to improve mental health. With the use of such advanced technology, neurologists can learn the patterns of the human brain to help with early intervention. Being able to identify mental issues not through diagnosis, but through the use of neurotechnology can greatly aid in the efforts to find effective preventive solutions to mental health issues.

Dr. Nucharapon Liangruenrom, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, took part in developing a self-evaluation system dubbed the Happinomenter tool. Distributed and encouraged to be used, students and staff are able to answer questions related to their mental and physical well-being. This anonymous approach to gathering data has allowed MU to amass a wealth of statistics that is incredibly useful for determining the pain points in the efforts of staying healthy for students and staff on a large scale. 

The speakers’ presentations were followed by an open discussion that invited Asst. Prof. Dr. Darunee Phukao, Dr. Nattasuda Taephant, Mrs. Suthinee Chatyalak, and Dr. Pavarud Puangsri to discuss the current state of mental health in society, the role of universities and society, and the steps being taken to combat the issues.

The second day of the national academic conference began with 3 separate workshops being conducted simultaneously. Participants were allowed to partake in a workshop of their choice. The topics of the workshops were:

1. How to coach students, lecturers, and management, “When Change is Chances”, conducted by Dr. Pavarud Puangsri from team Smile&Smart Center, Walailak University
2. Design Thinking for Promoting Well-being in College Students, conducted by Chula Student Wellness
3. Art of Listening for Mental Care, conducted by Contemplative Education Center, Mahidol University

Afterwards was the announcement that the Healthy University Rating System (HURS) is open for submission for 2024. In tandem with this session, an award ceremony session presented by Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti was held for Thai universities that have achieved 4 - 5 stars in the 2023 HURS. 

In the final session, TUN-HPN welcomed the following universities into the AUN-HPN family:

1. Kalasin University
2. Suranaree University of Technology
3. Nakhon Phanom University
4. Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology
5. Srinakharinwirot University
    

About Thai University Network for Health Promotion Network (TUN-HPN)

In 2014, ASEAN University Network in partnership with MU, established the ASEAN University Network - Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN), which currently serves to be a shining example of a regional network of people and universities working together towards a better and healthier society. As a matter of fact, the valiant efforts of raising health awareness is not limited to only MU, but universities across Thailand have also shown support in the goals of AUN-HPN. The culmination of the initiatives put forth by the universities has led to the establishment of the Thai University Network for Health Promotion Network (TUN-HPN), an ambitious country chapter and sub-regional network of AUN-HPN.

Active since 2016, TUN-AUN has been a key facilitator in health promotion for the society of Thailand. The model of TUN-HPN consists of six-leading universities in Thailand each representing different regions of Thailand. Chulalongkorn University (CU) represents the Central regions alongside MU, Chiang Mai University (CMU) represents the Northern region, Burapha University (BUU) represents the Eastern region, Prince of Songkla University (PSU) represents the Southern region, and Khon Kaen University (KKU) represents the North-eastern region. The existence of this sub-regional network has opened the doors of inter-institutional collaborations and enhanced the awareness in health-promotion policies through the standard practice of guidelines set out by the AUN-HPN such as the Health University Framework (HUF). Furthermore, the mission of TUN-HPN is to expand the network within its own region and to organize national academic conferences.

In November 2023, the AUN Secretariat published the "Management and Strategy: How AUN-HPN Became a Driving Force for Regional Health Promotion'' book to highlight the good practices adopted by the AUN thematic network on health promotion. The digital version of the book can be downloaded here.
 
For further reading on AUN-HPN and TUN-HPN, please find the following the articles below that may interest you:

• The 2nd Thai Healthy University Network Conference (From Mahidol University)
• 3rd AUN International Health Promotion Conference highlighted actions towards Mental Health Issues and Well-being in ASEAN Universities