“Now I feel happier than holding a large amount of money in my hand. A comfortable and joyful mind, I like it.” – This is the sharing from Ms T.T., a 38 year old lady, who lives in District 7. She was successfully treated for depression which she was suffering from for many years.

During the last 10 years, Ms T.T. usually suffered from a headache, bad mood, pessimistic thinking, and felt she was at a standstill. This made her feel shy in communicating, she didn’t want to work, and she always had negative thoughts about her abilities. Due to the headache, Ms T.T. took examinations in a lot of hospitals, did many medical tests and used analgesic. However, none of this was very effective. Recently, she suffered from sore eyes, her eyes strained when using a mobile phone and a computer. This condition became more and more serious. Ms T.T. decided to visit FV’s Ophthalmology Department, but doctors didn’t see any problems with her eyes so she was introduced to FV’s Psychiatry Department to take an examination. Ms T.T. was examined and then diagnosed with a major depressive disorder by Prof. Dr Ngo Tich Linh. Combining with drugs and advice, Dr Ngo Tich Linh helped her to improve her situation clearly within 1 month. “I can’t believe that a pill can quickly solve all my problems like this”, Ms. T.T. emotionally shared. She found motivation in her job, and the joy in daily life with her husband and two children. The symptoms of the disorder disappeared completely.

Depression is a common mood disorder disease. Globally, 80% of the population will suffer from depression sometime in their life, and the frequency of getting depression in a lifetime is 15 – 25%. This disease can be caught at any age and is usually more common with women than men. It has the highest rate of danger in divorcees and unemployed people. Depression affects patients’ thinking and their reactions and makes them have many difficulties in their daily life. They need care from family, relatives, and even doctors to support them when they have this condition, and it can become much more serious if it is not treated.

Typical symptoms are patients who have a bad mood, don’t have any motivation, nor interest in everything, including hobbies or favourite things. Other symptoms which usually appear are movement disorders and sleep disorders, feeling guilty, decreased confidence, the idea and act of suicide, gastrointestinal disorders and autonomic nervous disorders. If you have any of these above symptoms for more than 2 weeks, take an examination with a medical specialist to be treated in the correct way. Unlike psychologists, psychiatrists are internal medicine physicians who evaluate patients’ condition to determine if the symptoms are caused by diseases related to constitution, psychology or serious mental illness. Psychiatrists can write out a prescription, and can help patients to quickly get back the balance and joy in their life.

To book a consultation at FV’s Psychiatry Department, please contact: (028) 54 11 33 33 Ext: 1541