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China to Draft Law on Mental Health Services
China plans to formulate a national law to protect people diagnosed with mental illness and improve mental health services now that mental illnesses are emerging as a serious issue in the world's most populous nation.
The draft of the law, aiming to guarantee mental patients' rights to receive medical treatment and convalescence services, is part of China's effort to better care for the mentally ill and help them gradually return to normal life, said Vice Minister of Health Zhu Qingsheng.
About 16 million people in China suffer from mental disorders, and the annual incidence of mental illnesses has reached 13 per 1,000 people, Zhu said at a ceremony to mark the tenth "World Mental Health Day," which falls on Wednesday.
Various activities were held nationwide to raise public awareness of disease prevention, convey correct information and provide counseling services during the event, which was designated by the World Federation of Public Health Associations.
"It is especially important to patients themselves and their families to eliminate discrimination and provide good medical services," Zhu said.
But due to lack of legal measures, many patients cannot get treatment if, for example, their families refuse to send them to a mental hospital or family members refuse to take care of them.
Behavioral problems in children, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide attempts, mental retardation among the elderly, as well as psychological problems of middle school and college students, have been increasing since the 1980s, according to experts.
They attributed the increase to the rapid economic and social development of China, more psychological pressure placed on people because of acute competition and the ever-increasing elderly population.
The World Health Organization fears that mental health problems such as schizophrenia and depression will account for 17.4 percent of all diseases in China by 2020, three percentage points higher than the current level.
Compared with the huge number of people waiting for mental health treatment, the number of qualified psychiatrists in China is only 14,000, said Ma Hong, a researcher with the Beijing University Institute of Mental Health.
Legislators in east China's Shanghai municipality plan to adopt a local law on mental health services, which will be the first such in China, and will serve as a model for national legislation.
The law mainly focuses on the protection of mental patients' rights to receive medical treatment and convalescence services, and prohibits discrimination in schooling and employment against patients who have recovered.
The law defines the responsibilities of doctors, local governments and communities in providing quality services or giving financial support.
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