China to Hold "World Mental Health Day" ActivitiesThe Ministry of Health (MOH) will hold nationwide activities marking the "World Mental Health Day", which falls on October 10, in a bid to arouse understanding and respect of mentally ill people.The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) has designated October 10 as "World Mental Health Day". It's the first time for China to hold activities marking the day this year. Peng Ruicong, professor of the Public Health School at Beijing University, said today that according to Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY), the world's standard of evaluating overall burden caused by health disabilities, mental illnesses rank at the top in China. He noted that mental illness not only affects a patients' quality of life and their families, but also brings ill affection to the society. Zhang Weixi, another professor from Beijing University said mental illness will also become the top medical problem to affect Chinese people in the coming century. He called for doctors and related medical departments to work hard to prevent as well as cure mental illnesses, which is an urgent job for the current society. A MOH official said on the "World Mental Health Day", China's 10 cities will hold kite-flying activities to help mentally ill patients, in a way, return to society. He also noted that the theme of this year's activities is "Healthy BigBody plus Healthy Mentality Equals Beautiful Life". |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |