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a national helpline in China

The measure was announced as part of a plan by the National Health Commission to respond to an emergency that had been kept hidden for many years for cultural reasons. Mental problems are also widespread in rural areas, especially among women and younger segments of the population. There are less than 4 psychiatrists available for every 100,000 people in the country.

Milan () – On December 25, the National Health Commission (guojia weisheng jiankan weiyuanhui) of the People’s Republic of China held a press conference in Beijing to illustrate the results of the efforts that have been made in the field of mental health.

According to data published by the World Health Organization, there are currently 54 million Chinese citizens suffering from depression and 41 million affected by anxiety disorders. While it is true that these pathologies are widespread in the country’s urban population, due to the increasingly frenetic lifestyle and the consequences of the economic crisis, they do not spare residents of rural areas, who are widely subject to them.

A report posted on the website World Population Review It shows, for example, that people who live in the countryside are five times more likely to commit suicide than those in cities, and that, unlike what happens in Western countries, the main victims are women. The reasons that lead to this extreme gesture, the fifth cause of death in China in 2024, are attributable to the lack of health care, the stigma associated with mental illness, poverty and the low levels of education that characterize the areas. rural.

To address this emergency, in recent years the National Health Commission has committed to improving mental health services, reinforcing prevention measures and promoting educational actions aimed at raising awareness among the population, including the youngest, about these topics. To this end, for example, in 2019 the document known as Health China Action (2019-2030) (Jiankang Zhongguo xingdong(2019—2030 nian), and in 2021 the National Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Mental Health and Hygiene was founded. Subsequently, the National Health Commission, in collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Finance and Public Security, launched a pilot project to increase the presence of mental health centers in hospitals in large cities and counties.

More recently, the decision was made – announced at the press conference on December 25 – to activate a free psychological assistance number (12356) throughout the country, which can be called if you wish to receive advice from an expert or even simply ask for information.

Despite the efforts made by institutions so far, Professor Xie Bin stated in his speech that there are still many Chinese citizens who “have little awareness of mental health and common psychological disorders, and lack knowledge about therapies and prevention.” .

The president of the Shanghai Mental Health Center, however, believes that although the percentage of patients who turn to a specialist is still low – only 9.5% of those suffering from depression receive medical treatment – requests for help psychotherapeutics will increase in the short term. Considering that there are currently fewer than 4 psychiatrists available per 100,000 people in China, urgent measures are required to further improve the delivery of care services, especially in the western and remote areas of the country, where it is poorest. At the same time, Xie notes, it is important to invest more in scientific research into the pathogenesis of mental disorders and the use of new technologies for the treatment of these diseases.

The reasons for this delay are probably due to the fact that mental health in China only began to receive public and academic attention in the last twenty years. This topic has long been considered taboo, due to a deeply rooted prejudice in Chinese culture according to which people with mental disorders have often been considered incapable of realizing the Confucian ideal of personal and social harmony. To this day, many people prefer not to admit that they suffer from mental health problems for fear of seeing their reputation damaged and being isolated from their community.

A recent article that was published in the digital magazine Sixth Tone refers to a series of testimonies taken from Chinese social networks that give a measure of how difficult it is for an elderly or middle-aged person to make the decision to embark on a psychotherapeutic path.

The first is that of Huang Liling, a 30-year-old woman, originally from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, who lives in Guangzhou. During the 2022 Chinese New Year celebrations, she discovered by chance that her mother was taking psychotropic medications to treat a form of depression related to menopause and suggested that she immediately consult a psychologist. But it took her mother more than a year to decide to take that step and from the first sessions with the specialist she assumed a reticent and hostile attitude. Huang accompanied her in this process and in this way learned about some painful aspects of her mother’s private life that could have affected her psychological well-being, such as her difficult relationship with her husband, a man with an irascible and often absent character.

Another significant story is told by Song Wendie, a thirty-four-year-old woman originally from Chongqing. On one occasion she invited her mother to spend a few days with her in Shanghai, where she now lives, and began to notice some strange things in her behavior. Convinced that she would never consider going to a psychologist, she hatched a plan and asked him to attend some group therapy sessions that were on sale to help her solve certain problems in her relationships. The mother accepted, convinced that the meetings would focus mainly on her daughter.

Meanwhile, Song realized that her mother’s suffering had begun with the death of her father, a retired man, whom she had cared for for a long time. The appearance of unexpected conflicts with the brothers worsened the situation. After overcoming initial resistance, and to her daughter’s surprise, Song’s mother finally decided to attend individual sessions with a therapist.

In any case, mental disorders in China not only affect adults, but also the youngest, even those who live in rural areas of the country. According to Xie’s statements at the conference last December, the percentage of Chinese adolescents who suffer from psychological disorders is around 2%. The expert denied the data circulating online, according to which depressive symptoms affect between 15 and 20% of Chinese young people, since they are the result of research not based on scientific and reliable criteria.

Although the figures are more reassuring than expected, Xie says, it is necessary to maintain high attention on those factors, internal and external, that influence the psychological development and growth of children. Therefore, it is important to ensure that they grow up in a calm family environment, are encouraged to cultivate interpersonal relationships and are protected from the dangers derived from accessing content circulating on the Internet. Parents should also avoid being too lenient and permissive with their children and putting pressure on them regarding their academic results.



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