Expert: Promote the solution of treatment problems for patients with severe mental disorders through community rehabilitation programs
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 4 (Reporter Chen Cong) Ma Ning, deputy director of the Mental Health Center of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia are one of the major public health challenges facing China. For treatment problems such as long-term and low medication compliance, the country is currently promoting community rehabilitation for patients in order to play an active and effective role in improving curative effects, providing emotional support, and helping to restore social function.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and serious mental disorder, which will have a significant impact on the work and life of patients. Ma Ning said that the etiology and pathogenesis of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are still unclear, but biological factors are one of the more obvious pathogenic factors. In addition, the patient's personality characteristics, physical health, and stress events based on external pressure have certain precipitating effects on the above diseases.
Ma Ning pointed out that as of the end of 2018, there were 5.994 million registered patients with severe mental disorders in China. The vast majority of them lacked the ability to work and needed long-term medication and care. This has become an important factor for poor people in many places to return to poverty due to illness. the reason.
In response to the problem of disease treatment, innovative explorations including the hospital-community integrated treatment model and the "Peer Support" project are being carried out nationwide. According to Ma Ning, the former National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "National Mental Health Work Plan (2015-2020)" in 2015, pointing out that China needs to actively implement the service model of "treatment of severe illness in the hospital and rehabilitation management in the community" in the future. Encourage and guide social resources to provide community rehabilitation services for patients with mental disorders.
Based on this work plan, Ma Ning’s team has carried out "Peer Support" projects in communities in some cities across the country in recent years, that is, well-recovered patients with severe mental disorders who have been screened, evaluated, and trained to provide services to other patients in the community to help Patients improve their social functions and return to society as soon as possible. At the same time, the community integrated treatment service model of schizophrenia hospitals using long-acting injections has also been piloted in 19 provinces across the country, benefiting more than 2,000 patients and their families.
Ma Ning said that the next step will be to form a unified industry standard based on the results of the current "Peer Support" project, which will be issued by relevant departments to clarify the main departments of the community rehabilitation organization, the responsibilities of the organization, and the specific service content provided by the community rehabilitation.