An invisible mask against the novel coronavirus outbreak, public health emergency intervention on mental health care has been launched in China to quell people's fear of the unknown and address problems concerning psychological health.
by Xinhua writers Chu Yi, Liu Fangqiang and Qiu Yi
BEIJING, Feb. 12 -- Timely and comprehensive mental health services have been deployed across China in its battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak to help the public tackle epidemic trauma.
The virus had claimed more than 1,100 lives as of Tuesday on the Chinese mainland and infected over 44,000, with Wuhan, where the outbreak started, hit hardest.
ASSISTANCE AT EPICENTER
To quell people's fear of the unknown and address problems concerning the psychological health, Wuhan opened two 24-hour hotlines on Jan. 23 when the megacity was put on lockdown, with services offered by the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and the Hubei Psychological Consultant Association.
"We receive nearly 100 phone calls from the public every day on average, but only about five calls are from medical staff," said Xiao Jinsong, head of the Hubei Psychological Consultant Association.
"Most frontline medical staff are fully concentrating on their work now, almost having no time to relax, which may cover their negative emotions. Besides, some medics habitually work under high pressure, but this is not conducive to their mental health," Xiao said.
Xiao encouraged the frontline personnel to vent their negative feelings in time to calm themselves before going back to work.
A member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) provides psychological counseling for a resident at a community in Xihu District of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)
In the fight against the virus, Wuhan is never alone.
The second batch of 148 Shanghai medical staff were dispatched on Jan. 28 to offer assistance in Wuhan Third Hospital. The team has set up psychological consultation rooms, consisting of psychologists and professional nurses, in their working area and the hotel they live in, to offer one-on-one mental health services to patients and medics.
"Online services are also available and those in need can reach us by scanning our QR code on WeChat," said Shi Weixiong, a member of the medical team.
"Also, experts in Shanghai can be contacted to offer online psychological assistance," Shi added.
On Feb. 4, a 55-member emergency medical rescue team from Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University was dispatched to Wuhan. The team has launched psychological training for its team members and also provided psychological support to frontline medical staff in Wuhan.
According to Liu Zhongmin, head of the Shanghai East Hospital of Tongji University, the hospital has compiled a book about psychological self-help and rescue, more than 95,000 hard copies of which have been handed out free of charge to citizens in Hubei and Shanghai, while its electronic version can also be downloaded for free.
