According to Zhang Fengyi, the spokesperson of China Disabled
Person's Federation, there are 6.14 million mentally handicapped
Chinese nowadays, posing a serious social problem.
With the pace of life getting faster and faster, the pressure on
the Chinese people has also become heavier and heavier. Meanwhile,
few people know the importance of mental health, thus slight mental
problems are usually overlooked, and lead to severe ones.
Zhang calls for widespread concern about people's mental health,
and she wishes the general public will stop looking down upon
mental patients and offer them a friendly environment, which is
necessary for their recovery.
"China has achieved greatly in preventing and treating mental
illnesses, and WHO really appreciate China's effort and
contribution in this aspect," said a WHO official.
(Chinanews October 12, 2007)