Mental health agencies free of govt control are necessary

The paralyzed Zhu Ling (second right) tries to move with the help of her parents and a housemaid. Zhu was poisoned with thallium 19 years ago when she was studying at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The case has never been solved. [Photo by Lyu Jiazuo / for China Daily]

Xu xueling, a resident in East China's Shandong province, was reportedly diagnosed as "mentally ill" and locked up in a mental health institution in 2008 and 2009 when she appealed to the higher authorities against the local government. After being sued by the local government last year for compensation, she was diagnosed as "not mentally ill" and "capable of payment". Southern Metropolis Daily calls for independent mental health institutions free of local government control:

There are many problems with Xu's diagnosis. She has been diagnosed as "mentally ill" with no evidence but the records of local officials. Her family was not even informed.

It has long been an open secret that local governments control mental health institutions and use them to detain disobedient residents. As early as December 2008, Beijing News reported that some citizens that appealed to the higher authorities in their disputes with local governments had been incarcerated in mental health institutions.

Under the control of local governments, mental illness diagnoses are always in their favor. When they want to deprive citizens of their liberty, they could have them diagnosed as mentally ill.

Many defend the local officials by saying the citizens that appeal to higher authorities put pressure on the officials. But people have the legal right to appeal to the higher authorities if they feel they are being mistreated. Moreover, the central leadership has cancelled the past practice of ranking local governments according to the number of petitioners and punishing officials if there are too many. By doing so the central leadership means to encourage people to appeal against perceived injustices.

The case of Xu also highlights the urgency of limiting the powers of local governments. They control almost everything in this regard, even the diagnoses of residents' mental health. Only through a deeper reform that shuts power in the cage can we prevent a tragedy like Xu's from happening again.