Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-k7p5g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T10:18:01.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Integrating mental health into primary care: the policy maker's perspective and experience in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Yu Xin
Affiliation:
Peking University Institute of Mental Health, China, email yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn
Liu Jin
Affiliation:
Peking University Institute of Mental Health, China, email yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn
Ma Hong
Affiliation:
Peking University Institute of Mental Health, China, email yuxin@bjmu.edu.cn
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In China, ‘community’ was an alien word. Many people used to live in dormitories (Danwei), to which they were assigned by government according to their work units. ‘Dormitory form’ community was closely linked to where people worked, and thus administration and supervision were simple, as was the provision of health services. In each Danwei, a clinic provided basic healthcare not only for its employees but also for the other residents of the dormitory. The old primary care service was based on this. In fact, the ‘golden age’ of community mental healthcare was at that time, when psychiatric hospitals extended their service to communities via the Danwei's clinics in the cities and via ‘barefoot doctors’ in the rural areas. Home beds, occupational therapy stations and shelter factories were set up in some cities and mobile mental health teams played important roles in the villages. Although this did not really represent the ‘integration’ of mental health into primary care, it was a good example of maximising the utilisation of the very limited mental health resources by stretching the psychiatric service, using administrative power, and mobilising family members (Shen et al, 1990; Zhang & Yan, 1990; Zhang, 1999).

Type
Thematic Paper - Mental Health Services in Primary Care
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2010

References

Central People's Government (2006) Premier Wen Jiabao addressing the National Conference on Preventing and Treating SARS. Available at http://www.gov.cn/ztzl/content_355339.htm (in Chinese) (accessed 1 September 2006).Google Scholar
Hu, J.-T. (2003) President Hu Jintao addressing the National Conference on Preventing and Treating SARS. Chinese Rural Health Services Administration, 23, 3 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Li, S. & Hu, S.-Y. (2004) Discussion on crisis and rebuilding of the Chinese public health system. Chinese Health Services Management, 20, 335 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Li, Y.-H., Yao, X.-W. & Zhang, M.-Y. (2005) Investigation and suggestion on community rehabilitation facilities for psychotic patients in Shanghai. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 17 (suppl.), 3537 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Liu, Z.-J., Legge, D., Pei, L.-K., et al (2006) Developing community health services, revitalizing urban primary healthcare. Chinese General Practice, 13, 10471049 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Ma, H., Liu, J. & Yu, X. (2009) Development and interpretations of Chinese mental health policies in the last decade. Chinese Journal of Mental Health, 23, 840843.Google Scholar
Ministry of Finance (2009) Central finance allocating RMB10.4 billion of subsidy for basic public health service in 2009. Available at http://www.mof.gov.cn/mof/zhengwuxinxi/caizhengxinwen/200907/t20090706_176613.html (in Chinese) (accessed 30 October 2009).Google Scholar
Ministry of Health (2008) China. Report Compilation of Policy Researches on Mental Health. People's Medical Publishing House (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Ministry of Health (2009) National basic public health service criteria. Available at http://www.moh.gov.cn/publicfles/business/htmlfles/mohfybjysqwss/s3577/200910/43183.htm (in Chinese) (accessed 30 October 2009)Google Scholar
Phillips, M. R., Zhang, J.-X., Shi, Q.-C., et al (2009) Prevalence, treatment, and associated disability of mental disorders in four provinces in China during 2001–05: an epidemiological survey. Lancet, 373, 20412053.Google Scholar
Shen, Y.-C., Zhang, W.-X. & Chen, C.-H. (1990) Familial and social prevention and treatment, and social rehabilitation of psychotic patients. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 2, 108111 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Yang, W.-Y., Su, L., Wang, H.-J., et al (1998) Comparison of attitudes and views of psychiatric patients between lay persons and mental health professionals. Journal of Clinical Psychological Medicine, 6, 333335 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Zhang, M.-Y. & Yan, H.-Q. (1990) Community rehabilitation, and prevention and treatment work for psychoses in Shanghai. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 2, 114118 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Zhang, W.-X. (1999) Observation of community rehabilitation in 926 cases of schizophrenia in trial cities. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation, 14, 255256 (in Chinese).Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.