Science seminar on rehabilitation and public mental health care

The view of seminar

        The seminar was aimed at enhancing the psychiatrists’ skills and ability to handle the necessary situations in public mental health care, and at the same time introducing activities of therapy and rehabilitation to mental patients. At the seminar, delegates exchanged and together discussed the research topics as follows: stress-related and somatoform disorders ; a a series  of cases of Dissociative disorders in Dac Nong; the management of epilepsy in Binh Dinh province; the initial remarks about application of GIM technique to mental treatment with music therapy; research results of disorders caused by Stress after Xangsen storm in 3 central communes…

         According to the research by WTO, depression is a popular disorder in society, with 5% of the world’s population suffering from it. Researches and surveys in some cities and provinces showed that there were many symptoms of mental disorders caused by stress, environmental impact and natural disasters. Typically, a large number of students of Nguyen Trai high school - Dak Nong province fainted; and the collective disorder of 12 women at Cum Nam commune, Khanh Son-Khanh Hoa.  Physician Luong Huu Thong analyzed 3 factors causing these symptoms as follows: stress, personality (low spirit, high pride, and overconfidence) and environment (education in family and society).

        At the seminar, a fairly new research was mentioned. It was post-traumatic stress disorder caused by natural disasters. The natural disasters

Music therapy helps patients recover memo

had drastic effects on people’s lives. They not only caused damage to infrastructure, crops, houses, human life, and human body, but also impacted on psychology-mental health of each individual and whole society. Although disasters happened with different levels, they still influenced on psychology of people in the area, like acute stress reaction.

        In fact, a number of people suffering from stress, depression and mental illness had increased much more in recent years, especially stress. But it seemed that patients themselves had incorrect awareness of these symptoms and thought that it was due to their low spirit and lacking self-confidence, etc. The recent research showed that depression involved the biological disorder of brain structures or brain function. Therefore, patients must be treated and taken care of.

Exhibiting products of mental patients

        The research by Dr. Nguyen Van Tho – Director of the Central Mental Hospital 2, which brings many effects to mental patients, was highly appreciated at the seminar. It was called “Application of musical method with instructions to mental treatment”. He said that is was therapy music. In reality, patients would listen to music (about 30-40 minutes), and doctors had to discuss and exchange with patients (about 15-25 minutes) to help them solve their problems. This research was tested for two 27-year-old patients with Pervasive developmental disorders and despression. After listening to music, they experience association, as well as feelings and body exercise. These experiences would help patients identify contradictions in their inner feelings. Thus doctors and patients could succeed in finding out solutions to changing patients’ thoughts and feelings.

        In 2007, the Central Mental Hospital 2 deployed the pilot project called “Small plan on Epilepsy and Depression at 6 communes, wards of 6 Western provinces”. As a result, a large number of patients suffering form epilepsy and depression were treated successfully, increasing the quality of life for patients and whole community. And the most important thing was that it changed awareness of mental health in community.

 Reported by Le Lan, Translated by TKHC