A mental crisis treatment and rescue center will be set up soon in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.
 
To be established by Nanjing Brain Hospital, the center will have three departments - a mental crisis and suicide intervention center; an emergency center; and a mental disease center.

A hospital official surnamed Guo said the first department is made up of two sections - one for outpatients and a free hotline (862583712977) for psychological advice; and the other which is responsible for treating people who try to kill themselves. 

"Our hospital has a long history of providing psychological advice and mental healing for those people who want to commit suicide," said Guo, adding that a suicide intervention center set up in the hospital in 1991 was the first in the country.

It is estimated that since then, the center has succeeded in preventing about 1,600 people from committing suicide.

Statistics show that about 280,000 people kill themselves each year nationwide and about 2 million attempt suicide, of whom 80 percent do not seek any medical help.

"Actually, most of the people who come for help do not really want to end their lives. Through counseling by our experts, they gradually get back the courage to live," said Guo.

The hospital has had an intensive care unit from 2001; and a department of mental diseases since it was founded in 1947.

With excellent doctors, advanced equipment and rich experience, the hospital is well placed to set up the mental crisis center.

"It will provide a chain of medical services, from persuasion, intervention, rescue, psychological advice to mental healing," added Guo.

(China Daily March 9, 2004)