By Chai Hua

BEIJING, May 28 -- Lieutenant General Bi Jingjing, former vice president of the PLA National Defense University and a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, said that affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, post-epidemic rehabilitation and psychological counseling have become an issue facing the whole society. Due to a lack of scientific cognition, all-rounded policies and regulations and fully fledged institutional mechanisms, the existing mental health service system cannot meet the needs at present.

To resolve the issues in question, Lt gen Bi Jingjing put forward five suggestions:

First, a sound public mental health service system should be forged to accelerate the incorporation of mental health services into the social governance system and the development of spiritual civilization.

Second, the planning and design of public mental health services should be stepped up by investing more in infrastructure construction, introducing relevant policies and industry standards for guidance, and cultivating more professional talents.

Third, the basic projects involving public mental health services should be underpinned by striving to develop three systems of theoretical grounds, technical support, and industry layout.

Fourth, athe public mental health incentive and persuasive mechanism should be improved, with focus on giving full play to the risk early warning, persuasion and intervention, and pooling collective wisdom and energy.

Besides, it is necessary to accelerate the incubation of the industrial platform for public mental health services, to formulate well-regulated technical standards, and to shape benign environment for the development of public mental health industry.