BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- With the help of community doctors, some mental patients in Beijing can receive treatment by medical workers through the Internet and a digital camera, representing the first time that Chinese mental patients can avail of such services.
An online system that enables mental patients to receive face-to-face treatment from doctors was initiated here Monday as part of the government drive to mark the 14th World Mental Health Day.
In community hospitals, mental patients can talk to medical experts through Microsoft's chat software, just like in online video chats between friends.
Devised by the Mental Health Treatment Center of Beijing's Chaoyang District, the online system for mental patients includes a confidential sick list and the medical records keeping the patient's state of the disease. Doctors can connect to the system any time with a modem so as to give advice or discuss treatment with colleagues, said Zhang Wei, a mental health doctor with the center.
Zhang said the center also provides free medicine for mental diseases to poor patients.
Statistics from China's Health Ministry show that there are currently 16 million mental patients in China, and about 6 million Chinese suffering epilepsy.
Cris Tunon, senior program manager of the World Health Organization (WHO) China, said the number of people with mental diseases worldwide has reached 450 million.
Chen Xiaohong, China's vice health minister, said among all thediseases in China, mental disease has imposed the heaviest burden on the families of the patients.
Chen said, mental diseases in China have been increasingly serious in recent years, including mental and behavioral problems suffered by children and teenagers, senile dementia and psychological problems after severe disasters. Enditem
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