15% of Vietnam Population Suffer Mental Disorders

Roughly 15% of Vietnam’s population has mental disorders, statistics showed at an international forum in Hanoi on April 14-15. The disorders include schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, amnesia, alcohol and drug addiction, and adolescent behavior problems, said speakers at the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Mental Health Forum. To reduce the number people with mental disorders, the country of 90 million people is urged to promote research on mental health in cooperation with regional countries as well as build action plans that connect local policy makers and researchers with global partners. As most of the people with mental disorders are low-income earners, Vietnam needs to build and implement policies and strategies on the issue to provide good medical services to those vulnerable people, experts at the event noted. (Chinhphu.vn April 15, Vietnamplus.vn April 15)