According to Zhang Fengyi, the spokesperson of China Disabled Person's Federation, there are 6.14 million mentally handicapped Chinese nowadays, posing a serious social problem.

With the pace of life getting faster and faster, the pressure on the Chinese people has also become heavier and heavier. Meanwhile, few people know the importance of mental health, thus slight mental problems are usually overlooked, and lead to severe ones.

Zhang calls for widespread concern about people's mental health, and she wishes the general public will stop looking down upon mental patients and offer them a friendly environment, which is necessary for their recovery.

"China has achieved greatly in preventing and treating mental illnesses, and WHO really appreciate China's effort and contribution in this aspect," said a WHO official.

(Chinanews October 12, 2007)