China's First Suicide Intervention Center Goes Online

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 10, 2003

China's First Suicide Intervention Center Goes Online

China's first suicide intervention center opened a website in Beijing Friday, making it possible for people with mental health problems to register online as well as find medical information.

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China's first suicide intervention center opened a website in Beijing Friday, making it possible for people with mental health problems to register online as well as find medical information.

The website WWW.CMA-MH.ORG is sponsored by the Society of Neurology and Psychiatry of the Chinese Medical Association and the Beijing Huilongguan Hospital.

The Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center, the first such base aiming to reduce China's alarming suicide rate, was set up at Huilongguan Hospital in December.

Some 50 psychiatrists from 44 hospitals and psychosis-prevention organizations nationwide are available for online consultations via the website. Web surfers can also obtain detailed information about some medical products and legal help.

Zou Yizhuang, Vice president of the Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, said the present system of mental health services in China did not meet the needs of people with mental health problems because most, fearing social misunderstanding and prejudice, did not want to go to hospital and therefore missed the best chance of recovery.

According to a report released by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry in 2000, more than 16 million people suffer severe mental illness in China. But even in Shanghai, only 20 percent of sufferers turn to a doctor.

Meanwhile, a specific survey on depression showed that about 90percent of sufferers did not have any medical treatment and only 20 percent of patients who go to hospital were appropriately treated.

Chen Yanfang, vice editor-in-chief of the Chinese Journal of Psychiatry, said China was in great need of psychiatrists.

Despite a population of more than 1.3 billion people, the country had only about 13,900 psychiatrists, the same number as France, he said.

Meanwhile, most of the more than 800 mental health organizations are located in rural areas and are not convenient for patients.

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