Up to a fifth of Vietnamese people have mental illness due to pressures related to work and study, according to data by the Hanoi-based Central Psychiatric Hospital released five years ago. The high rate of various mental disorders is mainly diagnosed among primary students, university students, breast-feeding women and businesspeople, said La Duc Cuong, head of the hospital. Common mental health problems include depression, oversleeping, addiction, panicking, over-anxiousness and emotional disorders. Reprimanding others is also regarded as one of the undiagnosed problems. Many people with mental problems remain undiagnosed in the community or even their families try to hide the illness due to social prejudice, he added. A survey on more than 10,000 teenagers and youths in Vietnam in 2010, 4.1% thought about suicide, 27.6% felt depression or uselessness and 21.3% were completely disappointed about the future. In 2010, the government spent about VND60 billion-VND70 billion ($2.83 million-$3.3 million) on mental health protection projects, but the projects only target patients who have already lost their ability to work and integrate into society, according to experts. (Lao Dong & Xa Hoi – Labor & Society Sept 17 p13)
