Attention to mental health reflects a profound change in attitudes
Shen Yinjing, a therapist in Shanghai, volunteered to help distressed people in the coronavirus-stricken city of Wuhan by offering counselling over the phone or by text. Before long she was running an online support group for people being treated in one of Wuhan’s makeshift hospitals for covid-19 patients. Now Ms Shen wonders how she should assist those bereaved by the disease.
In recent years, however, the government has begun to stress the importance of mental health in the country’s long-term development goals. A mental-health law, passed in 2012, advised against the previously common practice of confining people in psychiatric wards against their will. The government’s “Healthy China 2030” plan, issued in 2016, called for a stronger “mental-health service system”.
Mental-health workers who have responded to the covid-19 outbreak appear better-organised and better-trained than the volunteers who flocked to care for victims of the earthquake, says Huang Hsuan-Ying of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. During the covid crisis, counsellors have formed online networks to co-ordinate their efforts to help the afflicted. Yu Zhihong, a professor of social work at Wuhan University, set up one such group.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US says China trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine researchUS authorities warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers were attempting to steal coronavirus data on treatments and vaccines, adding fuel to Washington&39;s war with Beijing over the pandemic. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said organizations researching COVID-
Read more »
Coronavirus updates: China to ramp up COVID-19 testing amid fears of a resurgenceItaly's government has approved a $60 stimulus package to help businesses and families reeling from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more »
China reports three new COVID-19 cases, down from seven a day earlierChina reported 3 new coronavirus cases for May 13, down from 7 cases a day earlier, the country's health commission said.
Read more »
China calls U.S. accusation of hacking in COVID-19 research 'slander'China's foreign ministry, asked about China-linked hackers breaking into U.S. COVID-19 research, said China opposed what it called slander from the United States.
Read more »
Trump blames China for COVID-19, but mimics its authoritarian behavior - Business Insider'Trump is borrowing from an autocrats' playbook used not only by Xi but by Bolsonaro, Putin, and others too,' an authoritarianism expert said.
Read more »
Unemployment ticks higher in China as coronavirus shock to economy persistsChina's official, but highly doubted, urban unemployment rate rose to 6.0% in April, from 5.9% in March, according to figures released Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Read more »