In the first course at OPCs in May and June this year, Dr Tran Tuan lead discussions about basic concepts such as health, mind, psychology, mentality, mental disorders, mental illness and psychosis. The concepts are commonly misunderstood or confused not only by citizens but also by health workers. All attendees at the training courses agreed with the proposal of the RTCCD lecturer in the use of the following terminologies:
· “Suc khoe tam tri” (English: Mental health) instead of “Suc khoe tam than” (which principally refers to “Mentally-ill problems”) and “Suc khoe tinh than” (English: Health of the people’s mind) which until now have been used by health professionals and others non-medical ones.
· “Roi nhieu tam tri” (English: Mental disorders) (the translation of a relatively new term used in the mental health research team of RTCCD from 2003) refers to the general deviance from optimum mental health. Current prevalence of mental disorders is estimated at being between 15% to 20% in Vietnamese mothers and children, and the most effective therapies often consist of psychotherapies and interventions on reducing risk factors to health and creating positive habits.
· “Benh tam than” (English: Mental illness) refers to patients with mental disorders who might not be able to treat their problems by themselves and need medical interventions. Treatments should be based on protocol consisting of three components (medical treatment, psychological treatment and lifestyle changes).
For further information, please contact Dr. Tran Tuan at trantuanrtccd@gmail.com