When studying a timeline of mental health care in China, one
could be forgiven for assuming the outlook was bleak. Government
reports and private studies both confirm that a growing number of
Chinese people suffer from mental disabilities and that most of
them do not have access to adequate health care and treatment.
In big cities like Beijing or Shanghai where awareness of these
problems is on the rise, a lack of trained professionals impairs
many health institutions' abilities to treat or even diagnose
mental ailments, many of which are still relatively unknown in
China.
In rural areas, the outlook is worse as despite tremendous
efforts to increase health coverage to every village and remote
townships, these hastily-built clinics are ill-equipped to deal
with emergencies falling outside the realm of general medical
treatment.
October 10 marked World Mental Health Day and the relevant
watchdogs released figures showing worrying trends. Shanghai's
health department places the city's instances of mental illness at
1.55 percent, up from 0.32 percent in the late 70s and that only 20
percent of China's mentally ill are currently receiving
treatment.
However, with the CPC making specific mention of mental health
for the first time in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), Chinese
understanding of such afflictions and their treatment should
gradually improve.
In the meantime, a highly encouraging sight is that of the
growing number of privately-run community centers which are
welcoming patients around China. Providing the mentally disabled
with specially-tailored environments within which they can live
happily, be taken care of, taught life-skills and even get the
chance to earn a salary.
Foremost among these is the Hui Ling network of community
centers extending to Beijing, Xi'an, Xining, Tianjin, Chongqing, Wuhan and Qingyuan. The network was
first started in 1990 by Ms Meng Weina in Guangzhou and Mr.
Fernando Cagnini with the first of three Beijing centers opening in
2000. Its Guangzhou center has since evolved to encompass both a
collective caring unit and a family residence center.
Hui Ling's three centers in the capital, are located in
Jingshan, Gulou and Fangzhuang. Each caters to a different level of
mental disability, with that in Jingshan welcoming over 20 patients
on a daily basis, specializing in those who suffer from less
debilitating conditions.
Upon visiting the center, a very pleasant surprise awaits.
Nestled inside the hutong complex north of the Forbidden City and
located inside an attractive and fragrant courtyard, Beijing Hui
Ling provides an ideal location for the care and rehabilitation of
its denizens.
Staffed by full-time teachers and staff as well as by
volunteers, Hui Ling provides a curriculum of study and of
activities tailored to their wards. Much of it depends on the calm
and peaceful setting but also?on the determination of those
who work there.
"Hui Ling welcomes people from differing social background,
people from both fortunate and poor families," said Miss Patricia
Crouan, a social worker from France volunteering at Hui Ling, on
October 24. "Our goal is to provide each of our patients with
life-skills, enabling them to fend for themselves by teaching them
to cook and clear while earning an income by teaching them to paint
and make trinkets which are then sold to tourists. A part of the
profits is then converted into a small salary for them."
Beijing Hui Ling, as a day center, caters to those living
outside, generally with their families. Among its patients,
disabilities range from severe autism to trisomy, but through
careful tutoring, challenges that are normally beyond their
capabilities are overcome. Furthermore, the monthly cost of 400
yuan to the families for daily care is significantly lower than
other institutions, allowing those from more disadvantaged
backgrounds to benefit from care.
The "Three Primary Colors" workshop, with its full-time music
and art teachers, coaches trainees in arts and crafts production,
increasing both revenue for the center and the trainees themselves
but also enabling them to gain skills transferable to external
workplaces.
But Hui Ling's implementation in Beijing did not happen without
trouble. Local residents were nervous at the idea of such a
community center and problems also spread to the families of the
patients themselves.
This intolerance stems from the lack of understanding of mental
diseases among the general Chinese population, said Mr. Zong
Xuening, development director for Beijing Hui Ling.
However, one of Hui Ling's clear successes has been in opening
its doors to the public and helping to re-educate its visitors as
to the true nature of mental illnesses. When this writer visited
the Jingshan center, the wedding of two German social workers had
just concluded. The bridegroom had heard about Hui Ling and
traveled to China to celebrate his wedding there. The patients were
beautifully dressed, presented a range of song, dance and music for
tourists while selling their handicrafts and looked very at ease in
society. This is a far cry indeed from traditionally held images of
the mentally ill who were ostracized from society and hidden
away.
"As the government's attitude has shifted positively, so is that
of Chinese people with many of those visiting the center touched by
the handicapped and the foreigners working with them," said Mr.
Zong.
"One of Hui Ling's continuing goals has been constant reflection
on how to improve his services," added Miss Crouan. "Our work and
activities focus on individual autonomy. We have a deep-held
responsibility?of allowing these people to fully integrate
society and the world of work."
The Qingyuan Hui Ling branch has already met with success in
this field by focusing its efforts on work for its patients, both
inside the center and outside for different companies and three of
its members have found full-time employment.
The future of Beijing Hui Ling looks bright, if financial
difficulties can be overcome. In addition to continuously seeking
charitable donations and trainee sponsorships, Hui Ling also seeks
material donations to help supplement their existing set-up.
Unfortunately, it seems that all the goodwill of the world will
not always trump financial realities. For the last few years,
Beijing Hui Ling had been sponsored by German charity, Misereor. In
2006, a re-assessment by Misereor led to the conclusion that
Beijing was developed enough for the three Hui Ling centers there
to find local sponsorship and the support was moved to the Xi'an
branch.
A further problem is that of finding reliable and well-trained
Chinese staff. While medical universities are now offering
psychiatric courses, the discipline only regained popular
acceptance a decade ago and many graduates are not finding jobs due
to a lack of infrastructure.
Miss Crouan notes that although the students that volunteer at
the center are full of goodwill, they suffer from a disparity
between their strong theoretical knowledge and practical
applications thereof. The concepts of self-reliance among mentally
disabled people and of them being fully participating members of
society often seem shocking to medical students who have not yet
been confronted with these realities.
Despite these clear problems, the principles upon which Meng
Weina and Fernando Cagnin founded Hui Ling over 15 years ago have
never been more necessary as today. With mental health at last
finding the attention it deserves at all levels in China, hope for
the future remains as long as beacons such as Hui Ling are allowed
to guide the way.
(China.org.cn by Chris Dalby, October 30, 2006)
