Cripple medical treatment
On the other hand, mental health services have not kept up with the growth in demand for help.
Even if the disease has been diagnosed, only a limited number of such patients have access to medical treatment due in part to the lack of professionals in this field. Currently, only 20,000 registered psychiatrists are operating nationwide, which means that there are 1.46 qualified doctors for every 100,000 patients. The medical resources are also frustratingly insufficient in Beijing—the best facilitated city in the country in the field, where no more than 1,000 doctors and 2,000 nurses are available.
This is even harder for patients in more remote regions since mental health resources are distributed unevenly.
First-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai are now offering a variety of help including hotlines, special advice columns, and lectures. All large hospitals are also required to open mental illness departments by the Ministry of Health, which is rare in less developed cities, not to mention rural areas.
An alarming phenomenon has emerged because of the insufficient medical help. Women in rural areas commit suicide more than any other group in society, said one expert, adding that they could be helped if they had access to treatment.
Aiming to improve the shocking situation of mental health in the country, a draft law has been discussed as an effort to ensure medical help for patients. Once passed, the rights of patients with mental diseases would be better protected.
This move by the government has been hailed by experts. However, they also warned that, mental diseases are social issues more than merely medical issues, therefore there is a "need for collective efforts from all social parties," said Yang Fude the director of Huilongguan Hospital.
