Health Deputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien introduced the organisation of the forum and emphasized that the event lays foundations to establish a network of regional cooperation in service and research and training, to improve living conditions of people with mental illness.
Tien said that a lack of scientific research and information on mental health is a hurdle in establishing and implementing policies, laws and plans on mental health.
In order to fulfill targets in the global action plan on mental health in the 2013-2020 period, it is extremely necessary to improve research and provide evidence on mental health.
Tien stressed that strengthening mental health is a long-term strategic task which requires the full commitment, support and determination from both local and worldwide governments and organisations.
With technical assistance from the Universities of Rochester and Melbourne, the World Health Organization (WHO) and University of Oslo, delegates shared experiences in the related field and identified priorities in research on mental health to develop a healthcare network in the region.
According to the WHO, in 2008, there were over 150 million people diagnosed with depression, over 125 million affected by the use of alcohol, 40 million suffering with epilepsy and 24 million classified as mentally ill.
Around 14.9% of Vietnamese population has demonstrated signs of mental illness.
