Don't forget your child's mental health

ĐNO - Poor mental health has serious consequences for children and adolescents worldwide. Early detection and timely intervention of mental disorders is becoming necessary.

Psychologists from the Clinical Psychology Unit ( Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital) are providing intensive mental health support for pediatric patients.

Many barriers

Recently, H. (10 years old) often showed signs of fear, biting his mouth and scratching his hands. After talking with his parents and conducting projection tests and play therapy with the child, psychologists from the Clinical Psychology Unit (Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital) realized that H. was insecure and afraid of being abandoned when she had a younger sibling.

Through counseling, the family learned how to accompany and support their child effectively. Through timely interventions, H. regained a sense of security, gradually reduced self-harming behavior, and continued to go to school like other friends of the same age.

Head of the Clinical Psychology Unit Cao Thi Thanh Thuong said that patients coming for treatment are quite diverse in age and problems. Young children often have separation anxiety, language delays, developmental disorders or oppositional behavior.

Adolescents often suffer from school anxiety, depression, and emotional outbursts. Adults face stress, prolonged anxiety, postpartum depression, or difficulties in marriage and family.

“If the “golden period” of intervention is missed, psychological difficulties can become long-term disorders, affecting children's learning, self-confidence, and social relationships, while increasing the risk of depression and self-harm in adolescence,” Ms. Thuong warned.

Faced with the increasingly serious situation of mental health problems, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 155/QD-TTg dated January 29, 2022, approving the National Plan for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health Disorders for the period 2022 - 2025.

According to Dr. Nguyen Van Dung, Director of Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital, the hospital receives about 250 - 300 children every day and thousands of children and adolescents every year.

“This reflects the huge need for mental health support among school-age children and adolescents, requiring the health system to respond promptly and appropriately,” Dr. Dung emphasized.

Recognizing the importance, in February 2025, Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital established a Clinical Psychology Unit to provide professional assessment, consultation and psychotherapy services, aiming to improve the quality of comprehensive health care for patients.

However, mental health care still faces many barriers. According to Dr. Dung, the biggest difficulty today lies in social awareness, many parents are afraid to take their children to see a psychologist, while human resources in the industry are still limited.

Ms. Thuong added that the obstacle also comes from parents recognizing the problem late due to lack of knowledge about school psychology, expectations changing too quickly, or lack of coordination between family and professionals, which limits the effectiveness of treatment.

Early screening - key to mental protection

Master of Clinical Psychology Cao Thi Thanh Thuong affirmed that early counseling and screening are key in preventing and promptly detecting psychological disorders.

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“Consultation and screening are not “labeling diseases” but a way to prevent and provide timely support for children to overcome difficulties, similar to regular health check-ups for the body. This is the most effective key to prevention.”

Ms. Cao Thi Thanh Thuong

Head of Clinical Psychology Unit (Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital)

According to psychologists, when detecting abnormal signs, parents need to proactively seek professional help for proper assessment and intervention. Patience, understanding and support from the family are key factors in helping children recover, develop healthily and confidently.

The Clinical Psychology Unit offers a range of age-appropriate therapies. For young children, play and art therapy helps them express their emotions, reduce anxiety and improve social skills.

In adolescents, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with skills training is used to manage emotions, reduce depression and school anxiety. The unit also focuses on educational psychology for parents to help overcome difficulties in the family environment.

“In reality, when receiving regular intervention, both children and adults have significant improvements in behavior, emotions and quality of life,” Ms. Thuong shared.

The Clinical Psychology Unit (Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital) is implementing many treatment methods suitable for each age group.

Dr. Nguyen Van Dung said that in the coming time, Da Nang City Rehabilitation Hospital will focus on three main directions: improving professional capacity through training, human resource development and research cooperation; expanding screening, screening and psychological counseling packages for patients and relatives; at the same time, applying technology, putting into use online assessment tools and remote counseling platforms, helping the community access services more conveniently.

It can be seen that mental health is as important as physical health. Every early detection, every timely intervention is a door that opens the opportunity to live a healthy and happy life.

According to the WHO 2025 report, one in seven adolescents (10-19 years old) suffers from a mental disorder, accounting for about 15% of the total disease burden in this age group. Worryingly, suicide is now the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29.

The Vietnam Adolescent Mental Health Survey by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released in November 2023 showed that 1 in 5 adolescents have mental health problems, but only 8.4% of them have access to support or counseling services for emotional and behavioral problems.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/dung-quen-suc-khoe-tinh-than-cua-tre-3302865.html