Mental disorders affect nine million people

A health worker is helping patients with mental illness to access normal life activities. Photo: VNA

Nearly in Vietnam, or 10 percent of the population, suffer from , including 2.5 percent with serious mental illnesses under social protection.

The figures were released last week at a conference on social assistance and rehabilitation for people having mental illness and mental disorders, held by the Department of Social Protection under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), in the northern Hoa Binh province.

Changes in lifestyle, economic development, and natural disasters, apart from environment pollution and limitations of social work service system are causing mental disorders and in an increasing number of people.

Rendering social assistance is difficult due to the deficient quantity and poor quality of facilities and services.

To Duc, Deputy Director of ‘s Department of Social Protection said the country has 31 centres of social protection, care and rehabilitation for psychotics.

The number of centres is expected to reach 50 by 2020, according to a scheme by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.-VNA