App designed to help mentally ill

A mobile phone application has been launched catering to the needs of people with mental disorders.

The Guangdong Family Doctor Association and Guangdong Mental Health Center have developed the nonprofit Guardian App, which is designed to link mental health doctors and general practitioners with patients suffering from minor mental disorders and the custodians of people with serious conditions in Guangdong.

Guangdong province, the most populous province in China, had 494,540 patients with serious mental disorders at the end of last month, with another 1 million estimated but not yet diagnosed and registered, said Jia Fujun, director of the center.

The province has 1,651 doctors and 4,488 nurses dedicated to mental health services, as well as 68 psychological therapists, 112 psychological counselors and 32 mental rehabilitation specialists.

About 70 percent of the mental health resources are located in the more developed Pearl River Delta region, leaving the rest of the province with few options.

Nationally, Guangdong reported the largest number of incidents related to mental illness that involved the police this year. In a total of 113 incidents, 85 people died. Most of the incidents involved people with mental illnesses who were unregistered.

About 4.8 million patients with serious mental disorders are registered across the country.

The prevention and treatment of mental disorders remains inadequate, said Wu Yuxiong, executive vice-chairman of the doctors' association.

Given the high recurrence rate of mental disorders, patients need long-term medication, which pushes many into poverty, Wu said.

The app, working with cloud technology, currently allows patients to spot general practitioners nearest to them, thanks to global positioning technology, and to make appointments online. In addition, they can find information about various mental conditions.

The app also facilitates online consultations by general practitioners seeking advice from mental health doctors for difficult problems - in 10-minute blocs - free of charge. General practitioners can also refer some patients to specialists.

"The tiered treatment method should help address the shortage of doctors," said Lin Yongqiang, director of the Public Health Division of the Guangdong Mental Health Center.

General practitioners have some knowledge of mental health issues, and with specialized training and certification they can become mental health service providers, Wu said.

In developed countries, 90 percent of patients experiencing depression are cared for by general practitioners, he said.

The two institutions behind the app plan to conduct 1,000 training sessions over the next three years for general practitioners and grassroots personnel involved in the prevention of mental disorders.

Custodians of serious patients will be able to upload the patient's condition and responses to medication regularly to receive treatment adjustments, medication plans and in-person visits to ensure stable treatment outcomes.

The app currently offers services from about a dozen mental health doctors and will eventually include all 195 institutions and track the 29,165 hospital beds in Guangdong reserved for patients with mental illnesses.