Dr. Sunsanee Ruangson

Basic Medical Qualification
Institute / County / Year obtained

• Bangkok Metropolitan Medical College and Vajira Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand, 2003.

Medical Licensure
Class of registration / restrictions etc.

• The Medical Council of Thailand: Doctor license number 29885

Internship

• 2004-2006: General Practitioner at a Local community Health Department, The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand: Provided medical treatment and referral for a range of patients and conditions
• 2003-2004: General practitioner at General Hospital, Nan, Thailand (8 months) and managed a 30-bed hospital and trained local nurses in and first aid and midwifery skills at Sobmuy General Hospital, Maehongson (4 months).

Specialist Qualification
Institute / County / Year obtained

• Diploma of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry training from Siriraj Hospital, The medical Council of Thailand/2010

Memberships of Professional organisations

• Member of Thai Medical Council
• Member of Medical Association of Thailand
• Member of Royal College of Psychiatrists of Thailand
• Member of Psychiatric Association of Thailand
• Member of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Society of Thailand

Employment history

• March 2023: Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Bangkok Phuket Hospital, Phuket, Thailand
• March 2020 to present: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry service on MorDee Application (Tele-Medicine): Both adults and children, to date I have been consulted by 615 cases of children and adults. Online Teaching for Accountants from LOTUS Company in the topic of Motivation of Work and Burn Out syndromes.
• January 2018 to present (4 days a week), 150 bed-Private hospital Ekachai, Samutsakorn, Thailand.
  1. I have provided psychiatric care and set up The Child and Teen Development Centre as a leader role in the unit. This included managerial, administrative and case work roles. This unit now has over 10 paramedical professionals including nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists (OT), a speech therapist, physiotherapists (recommendation and hydrotherapy), an audiologist and music therapists. This provided complete developmental and behavioural assessment and treatment for children and families.
  2. The range of Child and Adolescent aged diagnoses average 5-8 cases per day for individual sessions. This included
     • Behavioural problems such as temper tantrums, thumb sucking, nail biting, trichotillomania, school refusal, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorders, sleeping problems including nightmare, night terror, sleep walking and child rearing problems which some cases were collaborated with paediatricians.
     • Early intervention programs for delay development children such as Down’s syndrome, congenital brain disorder and genetic syndromes.
     • School mental health consultation
     • Neurodevelopmental disorders: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Disorders of Speech and Language and communication disorders, Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), and Specific Developmental disorders.
     • Anxiety disorders: Selective Mutism, Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorders and Post-traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD)
     • Somatic Symptoms disorders including Somatic Symptoms Disorder
     • Mood disorders: Bipolar disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia.
     • Parental conflicts and Reactive Attachment Disorder
     • Acute psychosis management with neuro-medicine specialist and Schizophrenia
     • Medical related psychotic disorder including Hashimoto Thyroiditis, NMDA encephalitis.
  3. Consultations with adults took up an average of half a day per week
     • Crisis intervention in attempted suicidal cases: Adjustment disorders, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Borderline Personality Disorder
     • Heroine and amphetamine intoxication
     • Alcohol and amphetamine Use Disorders
     • Mood disorders: Anxiety disorders, MDD and Bipolar disorder
     • Schizophrenia
     • Dementia (collaborated with a neurologist).
  4. Scripted and presented at least 6 audio-visual education sessions (Live Facebook and Youtube) for families ranging in duration from 6 to 20 minutes. Also scripted and presented face to face information and education sessions for families in groups up to 30 people (3-4 times a year).
     • Discipline with Happiness
     • Social Media Addiction
     • How to recognise hyperactive children
     • How to raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids
     • Understanding adolescents
     • Positive Discipline
     • Common Behavioural Problems in under 5-year-old and Behavioural Modification
• October 2017 to present (0.5-1.0 day a week), Galya Rajanagaridra Institute (Tertiary care Public Mental Health Hospital): 300 bed-Mental Health Hospital: Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and General Psychiatrist.
  • Consultations including complex and severe cases who needed intensive and multi-disciplinary team treatment which were referred by other hospitals as a tertiary care. 
  • Coordinated with the community visiting team to support the treatment. 
  • Forensic psychiatry committee collaborated with general psychiatrists, social workers and legal workers including drug-addicted families, domestic violence, child abuse, victims and perpetrators and Court orders.
  • I administered ECT therapy rarely, as needed. 
  • Before commencing at Ekachai in 2019 as a full-time doctor, I also consulted in the Adult out-patient clinic (30-40 cases per day) approximately one day per week or if the institute needed.
  • The range of Child and Adolescent aged diagnoses average 15-30 cases per day. This included
    • Neurodevelopmental disorders
    • Anxiety disorders: Selective Mutism, SAD, PTSD, GAD
    • Tics disorders and Tourette’s syndrome
    • Mood disorders: Bipolar disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia.
    • Acute psychosis and Schizophrenia
    • ODD, CD, Substance-related and Substance use disorders
    • Personality Disorders: Antisocial and Borderline
    • Managed side effects from psychotropic drug-drug interactions.
• November 2015 to present (Saturday and Sunday each week), Bangkok Christian Hospital: Working with specialists in Department of Paediatrics.  Approximately 10% of cases were behavioural and psychological problems related to medical or neurological causes and collaborated with 3 child and adolescent psychiatrists, 3 child developmental paediatricians, 2 occupational therapists, 3 speech therapists and 5 psychologists providing treatment for patients and families.
  • The range of Child and Adolescent aged diagnoses average 8-10 cases per day. This included
    • Medical related neuropsychiatric disorders including Hashimoto Thyroiditis, NMDA encephalitis, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, Diabetes type I and II, Autoimmune disease related mood disorders.
    • Consultation liaisons and medical conditions’ comorbidity including congenital heart disease, severe food allergy, epileptic seizure and PTSD related medical procedures.
    • Grief and Bereavement service
    • Behavioural problems
    • School-Mental Health consultation from both Thai and International schools.
    • Neurodevelopmental disorders
    • Gender identity problems
    • Eating disorders: AN, BN and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorders
    • Anxiety disorders: Selective Mutism, SAD, GAD, PTSD
    • Somatoform disorders including Somatic Symptoms Disorder, Conversion disorder
    • Mood disorders: Bipolar disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia.
    • Childhood schizophrenia
    • Parental conflicts and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).
• August 2012-January 2017: Full time Clinical Instructor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, 350-bed Paediatric wards and 3000-bed Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Siriraj Hospital (Monday to Friday):
  • Consultation Liaison inside and outside the department and emergency on call duty 6 months per year.
  • Supervised Fellowship program, Paediatric Residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric trainees. Projects included
    1. Autism Spectrum Disorder care teams
    2. Child maltreatment and Child protection services: collaborated with General Paediatricians, Forensic Medicine, Emergency department and National Child Protection Services.
       • Forensic psychiatric consulting occasionally led to the National Mandatory Reporting Framework which included attending at the Court on 3 occasions.
       • Many forms of child maltreatment: Shaken Baby Syndrome, Acute and Chronic Subdural haemorrhages, Intra-abdominal haemorrhage, Sexual abuse, Sexually Transmitted Infections, pregnancy, sexual exploitation etc.
       • This also included collaborating with lawyers, police, forensic doctors and giving medico-legal advice.
       • Teaching medico-legal courses and supervised social workers who worked in child protection and social services in Thailand.
    3. Care team and research in Diabetic type I and II: This provided psychiatric screening and evaluation especially Eating Disorders, Behavioural problems, Mood disorders and symptoms related medical procedures 
    4. Paediatric Palliative Care team (PPC) including
       • Child Life Program and this co-ordinated and provided services as part of interdisciplinary team including OT, psychologists and nurses and specialists to support dying patients with PPC program.
       •  Training programs for fellowship and residency training program in the Department of Paediatrics and The Royal College Paediatricians of Thailand.
    5. HIV-Project: worked within a project among Infectious and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry disclosure program, co-ordinated with social workers and specialists.
  • The range of Child and Adolescent aged diagnoses included
    • Medical related conditions: Delirium, seizure from intoxication including Benzhexol, Tramadol, Anti-histamine and other drugs overdose, encephalitis including NMDA (serial cases), Serotonin syndrome and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
    • Consultation liaisons and medical conditions’ comorbidity including congenital heart disease, severe food allergy, epileptic seizure and PTSD related medical procedures.
    • Grief and Bereavement service 
    • Behavioural problems such as trichotillomania, school refusal, sleeping problems including nightmare, night terror, sleep walking and child rearing problems which some cases were collaborated with paediatricians.
    • Under 5-year-old clinic: Neurodevelopmental disorders: ASD, Disorders of Speech and Language and communication disorders, ADHD, ID, ODD and CD
    • IPD and OPD Eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia nervosa 
    • Anxiety disorders: Selective Mutism, SAD, GAD, Panic Disorders and PTSD
    • IPD and OPD settings: Somatoform disorders including Somatic Symptoms Disorder, Conversion disorder
    • Mood disorders: Bipolar disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia
    • Childhood schizophrenia
• July 2010-June 2012: Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and General Psychiatrist, Huachiew General Hospital (330-bed-Non-profit hospital), Bangkok, Thailand. (5 days per week)
  • Provided support, diagnosis and counselling for children and adults with a range of mental health conditions and supported in-patient unit and outpatient units which approximately 80 % of cases were adults, 20 % were children cases.
  • OPD and IPD cases substance related withdrawal and Substance Use Disorders including Alcohol, Heroin, Tramadol, Cannabinoid.
  • Emergency on call.
  • Delirium and Dementia (collaborated with Internal Medicine Specialists).
  • Provided Palliative care for adults’ pain management and psychosocial support with PM neurologists and haemato-oncologists both OPD and IPD.
  • Coordinated palliative care training program for interdisciplinary teams.
• October 2010-June 2012: Part-time Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Siriraj Hospital (Thursday morning).
• June 2006-June 2010: 4-year-training program Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: 2 year-General Psychiatry and 2 year-Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand.
  • Research during in training program: Sitdhiraksa N, Ruangson S, Ketumarn P, Pornnoppadol C. Reliability and Validity of The Missouri Assessment of Genetics Interview for Children (MAGIC): Revised Thai version for diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescence age 10 – 17 years old; a comparison to clinical Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 th edition (DSM-IV).

Short-term projects:

1. 26-28 July 2017: Being a speaker in a session “The impact of palliative care program for palliative care management team at Siriraj Hospital”, Thailand: in Worlds apart: culture and context in caring for the whole child 8th International Cardiff Conference on Paediatric Palliative Care held in Cardiff.
2. May 2017: Bangkok, Society International of Paediatric Oncology Asia: Being a speaker in a workshop relating to Pain Management in Paediatric Cancer with Paediatric oncologist and Paediatric Pain Specialist.
3. Mentoring and supporting researchers to prepare international poster presentations on
   • 14th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology (AOOCN) May 2017, Fukuoka: Japan Helping caregivers’ Duchene Muscular Dystrophy in the annual meeting day with 5 activities of group support.
   • Asia Pacific Paediatric Endocrine Society (APPSS) in Tokyo, Japan 2016: The Prevalence of Mental Health Issues among Children and Adolescents with Type I Diabetes in Siriraj Hospital.
   • 8th International Cardiff Conference on Paediatric Palliative Care held in Cardiff, July 2017: Behavioural and emotional problems among chronic illness patients in paediatric hematology and oncology clinic at a medical University
4. August 2012-Jan 2017: Being working group of Palliative care in adults and interdisciplinary team Paediatrics Palliative Care in Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand: Counselling and Palliative training program and services, Child life program as well as in Royal Paediatrics College Thailand.
5. September 2015 – November 2016: Leading a multidisciplinary team and working in the project “Andaman Crisis” with Save The Children Organization: to assess the psychological needs of the child and adolescent Rohingya refugees in these detention centres then providing follow-up counselling with group activities (Trauma-Focus based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to help these children with their psychological problems over and followed up cases conference.
6. 2013 – 2017: Collaboration in Diabetes Care Research Centre. Group support counsellor, Camps for children and families living with neuromuscular dystrophy and lupus, Siriraj Hospital, Thailand.
7. 2012: Visiting Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi foundation in Taiwan about their working systems: Medical school, Volunteers, Hospitals and Palliative care services at National Hospice Policy Taiwan.
8. 2008- 2010 Researcher and Counsellor with children affected by 2004 Tsunami.

CPD

Thailand

• World Congress of Psychiatry, Bangkok, Thailand: 3rd -6th August 2022
• The Royal College of Psychiatrists of Thailand annual meeting.
• October 2019: The 10th Congress of Asian Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (ASCAPAP)

Melbourne:

• • The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2022 Congress: 15th-19th May 2022
  • Digital Health Festival, Melbourne 31st May-1st June 2022
  • Completed The 18-hours ECT Advanced course at Wesley Hospital Kogarah on the 29th and 30th Oct 2021 
  • ASD in Adults introductory workshop (22nd October 2021) and Advanced Workshop (25th-26th October): Mindful Institute, Melbourne, Australia
  • RANZCP Section of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry 2021: Virtual Conference: Arrested development: who are we locking up? 19th -20th March 2021
  • Albury-Wodonga Health: monthly up-to-date online conference from April 2021-May 2022.
  • July 2019: Tuning in to Kids, Mindful Institution
  • March 2019: The Association of Child Life Therapists Australia.
  • April 2017: Tuning in to Teen, Mindful Institution.
  • May 2016: The Australian Grief and Bereavement Conference 2016 and pre-conference workshops.
  • September to October 2016: 
    • • Attendance at the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2016 Conference, held from the 30 September –3 October 2016 at the Hobart Function and Conference Centre, Tasmania.
      • Telephone Counselling: An Effective Intervention for Supporting Bereaved People from Australian Centre of Grief and Bereavement.
      • Emotions as unfolding experience emerging insights from emotion research and value for psychotherapy from PDP the professional Development People.

Adelaide:

• April 2017: Australian Pain Society 37th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Research and publications

1. Ularntinon S, Piyasil V, Ketumarn P, Sitdhiraksa N, Pityaratstian N, Lerthattasilp T, Bunpromma W,  Booranasuksakul T, Ruangson S, Teeranukul S, Pimratana W. Assessment of Psychopathological Consequences in Children at 3 Years after Tsunami Disaster. J Med Assoc Thai 2008; 91 (Suppl 3): S69-75.
2. Piyasil V, Ketumarn P, Ularntinon S, Sidthiraksa N, Pityaratstian N, Lerthattasilp T, Bunpromma W, Booranasuksakul T, Ruangson S, Teeranukul S, Pimratana W.  Post-traumatic stress disorder in Thai children living in area affected by the tsunami disaster: a 3 years follow-up study. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2008: 9(2):99-103.
3. Ruangson S. A 13-Year-old Girl with Chronic Headache. In: S, Hongsa-ngunsri S, Manaboriboon B,  Areemit R. Editors.  Case-based Approach in Adolescent Medicine. Bangkok: Beyond Enterprise Company, 2014:132-38.
4. Ruangson S, Tarugsa J. How to deal with hyperactive preschool children. In: Tanmahasamut P, Wanachiwanawin D, Muangman P, et al. Updated Medicine 2014. Bangkok: P.A.Living, 2014: 57-64.
5. Ruangson S. Psychological Support & Coping Skills. In: Piyasil V, Ningsanon W. editor. Pediatric Palliative Care. Bangkok: Pentagon advertising company, 2015: 183-90.
6. Ruangson S. Complementary/Integrative Medicine. In: Piyasil V, Ningsanon W. editor. Pediatric Palliative Care. Bangkok: Pentagon advertising company, 2015: 191-5.
7. Veerakul G, Ruangson S, Vathana N, Buranavit K. “The impact of Pediatric Palliative Care Program (PPCP) for the palliative care management team at Siriraj Hospital.” Thai Journal of Pediatrics 2016: 55(2) 107-116.
8. Ruangson S, Tarugsa J. Learning problems. In: Likasitwattankul S, editor Thai Pediatric Textbook Siriraj. Bangkok: PA living company, 2016: 593-606. (ISBN 978-616-279-864-1)
9. Ornsuda Lertbannaphong, et al “Effect of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) with and without Motivational Interviewing (MI) on Glycemic Control among Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial”. Siriraj Medical Journal 2021: 73 (10)635-643.