No way out for mentally ill

Tengxian county, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was a typical sleepy county until July 5, when a large group of patients escaped from a facility for the mentally disabled. Since then, it has become the focus of debates regarding mental health throughout China.

Huang Zichao, a previously well-behaved patient in the mental ward of the local No.3 Hospital, shocked staff when he and his roommates robbed a doctor and then fled along with other patients. Altogether, 42 patients escaped the facility that night.

Web users commenting on the issue remarked upon the similarities to the famous 1976 American film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but it was a far more serious incident in the government's eyes. Over 400 people were dispatched that evening to track down the men who escaped. They were all successfully recovered.

When asked about why he fled, Huang simply said, "It is too hot and cramped here. I miss my home."

His words outlined a simple truth: Facilities for the mentally disabled in China, particularly in rural areas, are often basic at best. "This hospital has been overloaded for years, leading to poor conditions that fall far short of the appropriate level for mental facilities," Liu Xianjie, the chief of the local heath bureau, was cited by the Beijing Youth Daily as saying.

"Guangxi is not the only place that has overloaded mental facilities. The whole nation has resource constraints in terms of mental illness," Zhang Zanning, a law professor at Southeast University, who focuses on issues associated with the mentally ill, told the Global Times Sunday.

One flew over the hospital

There are as many as seven patients in Huang's dorm room, where they share one exhaust fan. During the hot, wet Guangxi summers, many patients suffer from insomnia.

Huang has a son and a daughter in Shanqing village, about 60 kilometers from the hospital. However, he hasn't seen them since he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to the hospital.

After years of treatment, Huang's symptoms have become less severe. However, his family declined a request from the hospital to accommodate him, saying they can not accept the risk of another outbreak.

That night, Huang decided to make his way home by himself.

When Zeng came to lock the gate of the mental ward, Huang, as well as his six roommates suddenly held him from behind. They took his keys, his cell phone and some of his cash. Then they opened the gates and fled, with 35 other patients following them out.

 "There were too many mentally ill patients compared with the small number of doctors and nurses, so it was impossible to stop them from fleeing," local government official Huang Weiyuan told the Global Times Monday, adding that the capacity of the mental ward of the hospital should be limited to around 100 patients, but the actual number has reached more than 300, making it hard to regulate.

The escape drew nationwide attention, attracting a flock of journalists.

"After this incident, the government decided to transfer some of the patients to other local mental wards of hospitals to relieve the burden. The hospital also plans to improve its facilities, including hiring more staff and installing air conditioners, to make the patients more comfortable," Huang Weiyuan noted.