Mentally ill patients at the Psychiatric Nursing Care Center in Đa Nang City. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Around 15 percent of Vietnam’s population –approximately 13.5 million people – suffer from 10 of the more common mentaldisorders, reveal statistics released on November 29.
Around 2.8 percent ofVietnamese live with depression, 2.6 percent suffer from anxiety disorder,while 0.47 percent have schizophrenia, the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) onlinenewspaper reported.
The data was revealed onNovember 29 at the start of a two-day meeting in Hai Phong City, organised by Laodong va Xa hoi (Labour and Society) magazine and the Social ProtectionDepartment under the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs.
Around 200,000Vietnamese people suffer from severe mental illnesses, according to a report byPham Dung from the Medical Committee Netherlands-Việt Nam (MCNV) at themeeting. Of these, 98 percent cannot take care of themselves, 15 percent showviolent behaviour, and 37 percent are yet to receive medication for treatment.
Around 18 percent of familiesof patients with severe mental illnesses reportedly face discrimination fromthe community.
The social protectiondepartment has only 45 centres across the country that offer care for patientswith mental disorders.
Shortage of facilitiesand trained staff were the main challenges faced by the programme to take careof such patients, the department said.
To fix the situation,the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has set targets to providecare and functional rehabilitation services for 90 percent of people with severemental illnesses by 2020. It also aims to conduct awareness programmes so thatlocal communities stop discriminating against patients and their families.— VNA
VNA
