Helping the mentally ill

Setting up a national reporting and registration system for people with serious mental health problems is a positive step toward a more effective treatment management system and will help reduce the potential threat to other people posed by those with violent tendencies.

According to a notice issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Monday, the details of patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, bipolar disorder, as well as mental health problems caused by epilepsy and disability will be recorded in a national database to facilitate better medical treatment.

Hospitals will need to record the patient in the national system, or submit a written report to a county-level mental illness prevention and treatment agency, within 10 days of the patient being discharged from hospital. And the county-level agency should inform the medical institution nearest the patient's home, so that doctors can arrange regular visits to guide treatment and rehabilitation.