‘Mounting stress and pressure’: Can a national hotline help address mental health issues in China?

Dr Xie Bin, President of the Shanghai Mental Health Center, stressed that the 12356 service would not compromise on personal security. 

“Some feel that seeking help for mental health might be shameful or would affect their future but China has strict laws and regulations on personal privacy so institutions must comply (and) protect patients’ privacy,” Dr Xie said at the NHC conference in December.

Public service hotlines in China are subject to confidentiality agreements, Qin said.

With physical counselling sessions, patients are required to sign their consent and acknowledge there may be certain situations where confidentiality needs to be broken. 

“If the risk of a person hurting others is relatively high, confidentiality must be broken during the counselling session,” she added. 

OPERATIONAL IN SOME CHINESE CITIES 

12356 came into use on Jan 1 in cities like Beijing and Guangzhou, and is expected to be accessible nationwide starting on May 1, the NHC said. 

In Beijing, it began operations at 8am on Wednesday and will be in operation 24/7, said the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. “Professional hotline counsellors will provide public welfare services,” it added. 

For callers in Guangzhou, 12356 now links to the city’s existing 24/7 crisis hotline, 81899120. 

“In recent years, mental health problems of residents have become increasingly prominent,” said a statement by the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, adding that 81899120 had become an important channel for people seeking help and has received more than 300,000 calls over the years. 

“81899120 has been committed to providing high-quality and efficient psychological counselling and assistance, as well as crisis intervention services to the general public,” the committee said. 

“It has played an important role in preventing and reducing extreme cases for mental health support.” 

Smaller prefectural-level cities are required to have at least one mental health hotline in operation, staffed by workers for a minimum of 18 hours daily, for 12356 to connect to, said the NHC. 

Calls will be free of charge, NHC officials said, addressing concerns from experts and the public about the increasingly expensive costs of counselling services and treatment.  

Whether or not the 12356 hotline will be a success, Beijing psychotherapist Qin feels it could still be “wait and see”. 

“Because we cannot see the operating model of the 12356 number, it is difficult to estimate,” she said.