Medical professionals providing mental therapy in Shanghai must be equipped with licenses issued by the city's health authority within this year, officials said Tuesday.

The requirement is based on a law known as the Shanghai Mental Health Regulation, which was enacted in April, 2002. The regulation, the first of its kind, stipulates that violators will be ordered to cease providing mental therapy and will receive administrative punishment.

Officials said there are two types of license. One is for psychiatrists, who have a medical license and are allowed to write prescriptions; the other is for psychologists, who are prohibited from dispensing medication.

Both psychiatrists and psychologists, based on the law, are required to apply for the license to offer mental therapy service.

Psychiatrists in the city are currently not allowed to operate their own clinics, but they will be permitted to do so upon obtaining a license.

"In order to regulate the psychological services market and ensure quality, Shanghai is the first city in the nation to require such a license," said Wang Weiling, an official from the Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Center's mental health branch.

The Shanghai Mental Health Center is conducting training courses for psychologists who plan to apply for a license, which requires passing an exam.

The first examination is expected to be hosted in May or June. About 170 individuals will take part.

Wang said psychological services are in great demand, but problems plague the industry.

Experts estimate that 1.2 million people in the city are in need of mental therapy. Many unqualified practitioners offer their services, which are harmful to those in serious need of psychiatric assistance.

Currently, there are 20-odd psychological consultation centers and some 20 hot lines in the city.

Most of the consultation centers are run by universities, medical facilities and social facilities.

"Doctors majoring in psychiatry normally treat people with mental diseases, while psychological services are for healthy people who are simply suffering from temporary bouts of feelings of dejection. The targets are quite different," said Ye Shanlong, director at the Changning District Mental Health Center.

(eastday.com January 21, 2004)