Mental Health Team Deploys to School After Shooting
An 82-member mental health crisis team deployed to Thepsirin School in Nonthaburi following an armed incident to provide psychological support to students, staff, and witnesses over the coming weeks.
The Department of Mental Health is mobilizing an 82-member Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (MCATT) to provide psychological support following an armed incident at Thepsirin School in Nonthaburi. Department director Dr. Kittisak Aksornvong stated that although the immediate situation has been resolved, the trauma may have lasting psychological effects on students, parents, teachers, education staff, and witnesses.
The multidisciplinary team, drawn from Sridhammasot Hospital, Mental Health Center 4, the Rajanagarindra Institute for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, the Galjanagarindra Institute, and the Mental Health System Administration, has been deployed to three locations: Thepsirin School, Chanyarattana School, and Bangkok Noi Hospital in Nonthaburi. The team will provide immediate psychological first aid, assess mental health conditions, and offer care tailored to the proximity and exposure of those affected, categorized into four groups: A (injured and families of the deceased), B (wounded, relatives, students and staff present), C (parents, school staff, and students), and D (the general public aware of the incident).
The intervention is structured in phases: within 1–14 days, the MCATT team will conduct first-aid assessments, risk evaluation, and therapeutic activities for students, teachers, and parents, with close follow-up of bereaved families. During weeks 2–12, the team will continue individual and family psychological recovery, monitor for trauma-related disorders, and build psychological resilience among teachers, staff, and students to facilitate their return to normal functioning.
