China Paying More Attention to Mental HealthThe latest survey shows that between 16 percent and 25 percent of Chinese university students and between 27 percent and 32 percent of primary and middle school students have suffered from mental diseases.According to the Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY), the world's standard for evaluating the overall burden caused by health disabilities, the rate of mental illnesses in China ranks it near the top. The Ministry of Health (MOH) started to set a series of policies and measures to promote mental health in China, including training courses for teachers on teenagers' mental health which was opened Thursday in Beijing. Experts noted that China has paid more attention to mental health recently. As a part of the youth mental health promotion program jointly launched by the MOH and the U.S.- based Lilly Company, these training courses aim to help middle school headmasters, school doctors and teachers to learn more about the mental health conditions of youth. It is estimated that about 400 million people in the world have suffered from mental illnesses, and about 17 percent to 23 percent of youth suffer from various problems relating mental health. China has over 230 million students who make up the largest proportion of youth. China issued a regulation on pushing forward quality-oriented education and said in the regulation that the schools should make efforts to help students improve their ability to adapt to society. Yin Dakui, vice-minister of the MOH said an extension of the youth mental health promotion program would help youth to take a healthy attitude toward life and lay a solid foundation for their future lives. |
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