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| | Mental Health Facilities of Chinese Psychaitry | | 2005-2-22 0:52:16 Institute of Mental Health, Peking Unive Liu Jin M.D, Ph.D |  Mental Health Facilities
The country has disability benefits for persons with mental disorders. The law for disabled persons was formulated in 1990 and some benefits in job getting and public welfareare possible. Some benefits are covered under the national health care insurance. Besides the state, the family, work units and community organizations are supposed to help the disabled.
Mental health is a part of primary health care system. Actual treatment of severe mental disorders is not available at the primary level. In some bigger cities like Beijing or Shanghai treatment at primary care level is available.
Regular training of primary care professionals is carried out in the field of mental health. In the last two years about 600 personnel were provided training. In 1999, programme for training physicians in mental health from general hospitals was initiated by the WHO/ Beijing Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health. In total, five workshops were held, three in Beijing, one in Hangzhou, one in Guangzhou. About 600 physicians attended them. Since then short training programmes have been conducted by WHO consultants for doctors, nurses and other participants from hospitals, schools, media etc. on mental disorders, communication skills, psychosocial management of stress and trauma. WHO and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) are collaborating with Chinese academic institutions in conducting short training programmes of doctors, pediatricians and health care workers in psychosocial management of children and adolescents. Similar programmes in the area of substance abuse are expected in the near future. Trainers training courses have also also been set up.
There are community care facilities for patients with mental disorders. Under the initiative of China Disabled Federation the community based care for mentally ill individuals was developed since 1991. Until now 243 counties were covered under the cooperation with local health bureau, security department, civil administrative bureau, etc. The plan relies on collective industrial therapy in the community, guardianship networks (doctors, local officials, family members, and possibly volunteers) and less restrictive treatments in hospitals. The guardianship networks provide family members with support and back-up they so rarely receive otherwise. The national government has allocated some money for this project, however, most of the funding is supposed to be generated locally. Some provinces like Shanghai have relatively more community facilities like nursing homes, counselling centres and hotlines. A few locations have community based suicide prevention programmes.
(Edited by Shuping,Tan)
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Ministry of Health, (2003) No.013
ICP:No.040657