Meeting population needs for mental health—the Chinese example

doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1002-0829.2012.03.009 Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, UK Correspondence: [email protected] Moving from an institutional model of mental health care to a community oriented system of care has long been recognized as desirable because of the improved health and social outcomes generally achieved by avoiding institutionalization, and the enhanced stimulation possible in the community. But providing local comprehensive community care is a complex task, and while it is relatively straightforward to plan and implement small-scale demonstration projects, it is very challenging to undertake systematic implementation of such projects across a whole country. National implementation of a community mental health service network across a country as large, populous, and geographically and socially diverse as China is a vast undertaking. The many challenges include political engagement, public and professional support, mobilization of financial and human resources, dedicated training tailored to specific roles, quality assurance, supervision, and monitoring.[1]