Web Based Mental Health Services to Asia

​According to Professor Maritta Välimäki there are different projects in progress. In all of them, the aim is to prevent possible problems related to well-being and promote good mental health. Web services are based on research and they provide support for self-care or guidance for people with mental problems and their professionals.

There is a call for these types of services both in Finland and abroad. Välimäki gives examples:

– DepisNet is a web service, which helps adolescent to address the challenges of growing up. At the moment, the service is in research use in Finland and we are adopting it to fit the everyday school life of Thai teenagers.

– One other new opening is a web based patient education programme, which is aimed for both adult patients and their nurses. Its aim is to support their collaboration and help the mental health care staff to achieve the requirements of the care in a structured way. It also helps patients to receive reliable information about their illness and treatment in tailored way, Välimäki explains.

According to Commercialization Manager Jukka Pulkkinen, pilot projects are excellent starts and the aim is to expand international exports to other countires.

– The Nursing Science of the University of Turku has broad, international networks and the research is top level of the world. We have superb a basis to commercialize products, Pulkkinen states.

Two-way Visits Take Things Forward

The web based products are developed together with end-users.

– Although, the goals and benefits of the services would be the same in different countries, products need to be culturally sensitive and adopted to the culture of each country to achieve success, Välimäki tells.

The first sparkle of Asian cooperation was lit when a delegation of the University of Turku visited the Fudan University. As a part of the delegation, Professor Välimäki visited at the Shanghai Mental Health Center.

After that Doctor Yikang Zhu and Teacher Qi Gao came to Turku to familiarize themselves with the e-learning package of continuing training for mental health care nurses and to develop the pilot project for Chinese market.

– We are launching the pilot in China in the spring 2013. Now, we are traveling to China in order to test the cultural sensitivity of the programme and to train tutors, Välimäki says.

The aim of Research and Graduate Studies Vice-Dean of the Prince of Songkla University Ruth Sittichai`s visit to the Univeristy of Turku is to modify the DepisNet web service for Thai teenagers.

– Adolescence, in the ages between 15 and 19, is a challenging time since on the verge of adulthood things are changing. The Finnish and Thai teenagers face quite similar problems. They may be worried about school success, popularity among pears, family relationships or their appearance, Sittichai and Välimäki ponder.

According to them, the web service is a useful tool of self-management since it encourages adolescents to resolve their problems. It gives guidance and the feeling that you are not facing this alone.

– We have to promote the young people of our beloved countries, give them the right information, help them in social networking and support good mental and physical health. If we can support the youths in a right way, we are not just making their lives better. Since the young children are the future, our countries are in their hands, and by getting them forward, we are developing the whole society and the whole country, Sittichai concludes.

Text:  Henna Borisoff
Photographs: Henna Borisoff, Erja Hyytiäinen and 55Laney69