Mental disorders affect about 10% of country's population: MoLISA

Nearly 9 million people in Vietnam, or 10% of the population, suffer from mental disorders, including 2.5% with serious mental illnesses under social protection.

The figures were released yesterday 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.

A health worker is helping patients with mental illness to access normal life activities. -- VNA Phto Duong Ngoc

Changes in lifestyle, economic development, and natural disasters, apart from environment pollution and limitations of social work service system are causing mental disorders and mental illnesses 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 MoLISA'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.

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