Chinese mental health services falling short: report

A new report is suggesting many Chinese people are still lacking access to proper mental health services, including basic knowledge, reports the China Youth Daily.

[File Photo:VCG]

The report cites recent "blue book" analysis, entitled "Report on National Mental Health Development in China (2017-2018)." It was released by the Institute of Psychology with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing on February 22, 2019.

It says that while China's national mental health is in good condition, a small percentage of the population has different levels of mental health problems: 11 percent to 15 percent of Chinese people have mild to moderate mental health problems, while 2 percent to 3 percent have moderate to severe problems. However, the mental health problems among different populations in China do appear to be growing.

Among the six common mental health needs listed by the report, a survey shows 53% of respondents believe "self-regulation" knowledge is the most important. The next is mental health education among children, interpersonal communication, prevention and treatment of mental illness, professional guidance and marriage. But while marriage counseling ranks last on the list, it has still been chosen by 28.9% of respondents.

The blue book suggests there should be an emphasis on creating more psychological counseling, noting that counseling services are not easy to find in China. The same analysis suggests many people - 48% of respondents - believe China's overall state of mental health is on the decline. Nearly three-quarters of those asked say they feel they don't have access to psychological counseling services, which suggests there is a big gap between mental health service needs and the services currently available.