A man alleged to be mentally ill stabbed eight children to death and injured five others on March 23 in Nanping, Fujian. He was a doctor who had lost his job and was experiencing difficulty finding a girlfriend. He shouted at the children as he killed them saying ‘you won’t let me live’. He has since been given the death sentence. The case is causing great concern in China as it highlights the gap in provision of mental health services. Currently only a few prosperous provinces such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong have drafted regional regulations on mental health. Patients largely depend on families for help financially and psychologically. At a time of rapid change (8% GDP growth), huge urbanisation (by 2025 China’s urban population is expected to rise to 926 million from 572 million in 2005) and extreme capitalism (men are judged by their net worth by women) this case highlights a difficult situation. (more…)
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On September 10, 2010, In Mental Health, By Charitarian
On January 18, 2010, In Mental Health, By Charitarian
Mental health in China was not something you talked about in polite company until after the Sichuan earthquake. The collective outpouring of grief at this time raised the need for a professional approach to countering bipolar disorders, depression and suicide. Today most people I know living in China admit to ‘losing it’ now and again; long working hours including weekends, leaving the support network of friends, family and familiar surroundings, cultural misunderstandings and the rapid pace of change makes many people fairly fraught in Beijing.
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