Kanpassorn "Eix" Suriyasangpetch is co-founder of OOCA, an online platform with a website and a smartphone app to help connect people with psychiatrists and psychologists through video calls. The 28-year-old dentist, who graduated from Chiang Mai Univeristy, hopes OOCA will make it convenient for Thais all over the country to seek help for mental issues and avoid the stigma that comes with it.
How come a dentist become so interested in mental health?
I had experienced a mild form of depression since a very young age and it persisted until after graduation. I come from a conservative family with a medical background but seeking help from a psychiatrist or psychologist is considered a taboo. While working as a military dentist for Thai Royal Army, I found that it was hard to go on with life without seeking a real solution. Starting to see a psychiatrist changed my life but keeping in contact with my psychiatrist becomes difficult since I had to travel more than 12 hours for a session. There aren't enough psychiatrists and psychologists and it was hard to book a session. I decided to create a product that can help people with mental issues -- no matter how big or small -- to be able to talk with professionals privately and with ease. I created an app where users can directly video-call their psychiatrists and psychologists. It will give people privacy and convenience. I want to create a product that I want to use and benefits others, too.
Why the name OOCA?
OOCA has no real meaning. It can be anything that a user wants it to be. I want to avoid the stigma of using the app. Shame and stigma is one of the main issues that prevents people from seeking help from mental health professionals.
Why do you think there needs to be a platform like OOCA in Thailand?
Inaccessibility and stigma related to mental health are global issues and people suffer from them everywhere. In Thailand, a limited numbers of mental health professionals, misunderstandings over mental issues and stigma around them result in unaddressed mental health problems. Therefore, a form of telepsychiatry like OOCA is a great channel for those who don't have easy access to mental health professionals and it eliminates stigma of seeking help for mental health, too.
How does OOCA work?
Download the app or go to www.ooca.co. Sign up with email or Facebook. We'll ask for your name, birthday and gender. You can use a fake name, if you want. You can book an appointment by choosing the topic(s) that you want to discuss and we'll list recommended professionals or you can choose one by yourself. Details of each service provider will be shown so choose one and the time of your appointment. If you want to see one right away, and they happen to be online you can immediately video call, too. Payment is by credit or debit cards. Wait for the scheduled time and log into the app on time, and the service provider will call you. You can buy online vouchers as gifts for others, as well by contacting us directly. If you have OOCA privilege from your company you wouldn't have to pay at all. Other than counselling sessions, we have stress test analysis that you may want to use.
What kind of users do you have in mind for OOCA?
They can be anyone who wants an opinion from mental health professionals or just need a counselling session. You don't have to be diagnosed as depressive in order to use our services. People might associate those seeking help from psychologists and psychiatrists as being on the verge of harming themselves but it's not true. You can seek help from them for various things from wanting to be better at school/work, dealing with break-ups, family stress and issues with children; even quitting smoking.
What's the difference between sharing your problems with family and friends versus the professionals?
There are various ways to deal with problems; talking to your friends, complaining on social media, going on a religious retreat or even seeing a fortune-teller. Talking with a psychiatrist and psychologist is one of the ways to help you cope with issues when things get out of hand. Sometimes you might have issues that you don't want to tell anybody close to you or sometimes you feel like people around you don't understand -- psychologists or psychologists can be a good choice and they approach your issues with an impartial view. They have proven methodology to help people sort things out and see if there's any further concern to their issues, too.
If any organisations are interested in collaborating with OOCA, what can they do and how can they approach you?
We have just launched OOCA for corporates and are willing to work with companies, who care for their employees. They can collaborate with us by providing their employees with mental health support.
