Psychological counselling division is mandatory at schools

Tran Thanh Nam from the University of Education, a member school of the Hanoi National University, said a survey of 235 high school students in Hanoi found that 25.1 percent of students suffered from an anxiety disorder, while 47.2 percent of students were at risk of anxiety.

The biggest anxiety for students concerned their relations with teachers, exams and  the high expectations of parents. The students with serious anxiety problems had lower learning achievements.

Nguyen Kim Viet from Hanoi Medical University said at a workshop on depression held recently at the Hanoi National University that depression was the most common of all mental health disorders.

Viet pointed out that the number of people suffering from depression has been increasing rapidly among children and adolescents. It is estimated that about 3 million children in Vietnam need psychological therapy.

Dang Hoang Minh, director of the Center for Career Information and Psychological Application Research, said when meeting students, surveyors discovered that many students had no motivation for study or hated school.

An earlier report by Ngo Thanh Hoi at an international workshop on children’s mental health problems showed that 19.5 percent of students aged 10-16 in Hanoi mental health problems. Of these, 16 percent had problems related to anxiety disorders and depression. 

Meanwhile, an epidemiology study of students in secondary and high schools showed that 16 percent of children had emotional problems and 24 percent had behavioral problems.

A survey conducted by the Day Psychiatric Hospital in Hanoi of more than 1,200 students (primary and secondary school) found that nearly 19.4 percent of students have general mental health problems.

Nam said high school students are in a period of life with big psychological changes. Many students are worried about their responsibilities and fear that they will not be able to fulfill their tasks.

The problems of students were diverse. A student told psychologists that her teacher of English hated her because “I once said she had a big head”.

“She (the teacher) regularly asks me to answer questions and digs up my minor mistakes,” the student said.

Another student said she didn’t like the teacher because she gave her a 7 mark. 

The other fear is they cannot satisfy parents’ expectations.

“My mother always says I am worse than the daughter of her friend, though the friend has lower education than hers,” a student said.

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