The project of training on prevention of mental health problems for mountainous students in Ha Tinh was successfully organized.

At the training session, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hang and Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Hong Thai, along with two teaching assistants, MSc. Dr. Tran Van Minh and MSc. Dao Thi Hoa, provided knowledge about mental health, to help participants better understand mental health issues, and understand how to cope when they and their children have psychological difficulties.

Experts point out that “Mental health difficulties include a range of mental problems with different signs characterized by difficulties in thinking, feelings, behavior, interpersonal relationships and the ability to maintain daily functional activities”.

Signs that students, parents and teachers need to pay close attention to in order to recognize when a child is having mental health problems:

- Feeling very sad and withdrawn for more than 2 weeks.

- Have self-harm behaviors/plans.

- Having panic attacks for no reason.

- Fighting or talking about wanting revenge on someone.

- Loss of control of behavior, possibly causing harm to self or others.

- Often vomit, fast or do other negative things to lose weight.

- There are worries and fears that prevent me from participating in daily activities.

The lecturer emphasized that parents should encourage children to share their feelings, acknowledge their strengths, resolve conflicts together, and encourage fun activities, sports, etc. For children with mental health difficulties, parents should not judge or label their children negatively. In particular, children need to promptly use professional support services, avoid delaying or hindering this, and follow the instructions of experts. At school, teachers should build positive relationships, a safe and healthy learning environment, and at the same time increase understanding of mental health issues. Teachers should absolutely avoid discrimination, not violate children's rights or disrespect the opinions and views of students. Mental health care services need to be promoted and widely disseminated to all students and parents.

In addition to supporting children and students in coping with mental health issues, parents and teachers also need to practice regular self-care.

To prevent mental health problems, students need to pay attention to:

• Eat healthy, exercise regularly, get enough sleep.
• Limit exposure to negative information, do things you love, listen to relaxing music, talk to friends, garden...
• Avoid contact with people who tend to be negative, share your feelings with someone you trust, establish new relationships, participate in volunteer activities…
• Be mindful, manage your emotions

Through the training, teachers, parents and students gained a better understanding and recognition of mental health issues, and improved coping skills for students. In addition, participants were also provided with knowledge and skills to access professional mental health support services such as contacting the Child Protection Hotline 111.

The training on mental health prevention for students in mountainous areas in Ha Tinh has received attention and support from many participants. This is a successful start, creating the premise for the next events to be deployed in Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh in September 2022.

Some pictures of the training session