Shenzhen officially started to build a citywide psychological social service network Friday, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.
According to relevant surveys, the prevalence of mental illnesses among permanent residents in Shenzhen is as high as 21.87 percent, and a majority of them have experienced depression, anxiety and other mild mental illnesses.
Currently, Shenzhen’s psychological services cover over 600 communities, more than 40 companies with more than 10,000 employees each and more than 100 schools. However, the services have yet to reach more communities and private schools.
According to the Daily report, the city’s health, judicial, education, public security and civil affairs departments and the disabled persons’ federation will collaborate to build a comprehensive network that is accessible at the municipal, district, subdistrict and community levels.
The network also plans to introduce virtual reality (VR) and 5G technology into psychological counseling in the future, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.
A highlight of the network is bringing psychological services to schools by requiring all public and private schools in the city to have psychological counselors in the future.
Moreover, 85 percent of the city’s primary and secondary schools will need to have psychological counseling offices by the end of 2021, and there should be at least one psychological counselor for every 1,000 students. Institutions of higher education will also need to be equipped with psychological counseling centers.
It is proposed that by the end of 2020, 75 percent of the city’s hospitals above the second level should have set up psychological outpatient departments and all community health centers in communities with over 50,000 residents should have set up psychological counseling offices.
Additionally, the network will pay extra attention to special groups like vagrants, beggars, criminals and people with severe mental illnesses.