What Does the Report Say about the Nation's Mental Health in 2020

Beijing, March 1 (Sci-Tech Daily) -- China's National Mental Health Report (2019-2020) (hereinafter referred to as the Report) was officially released at a press conference on the 2020 edition of the "Blue Book on Mental Health" jointly held by the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences Press in Beijing on Monday.

What will be the nation's mental health in 2020? According to the report, compared with the results of the first national mental health survey conducted by the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008, regional differences in the mental health of Chinese people in 2020 are still significant. The eastern region is significantly better than other regions, the urban population is significantly better than the rural population, and the psychological problems of people with low income, low education, unemployment and unemployment are more prominent.

Chen Zhiyan, deputy editor-in-chief of the Blue Book and a professor at the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, further explained that in terms of regional differences, the proportion of people at risk of depression in the eastern region was only 2.6 percent lower than that in the central and western regions in 2008, and the gap will be 8 percent in 2020. However, in a year-over-year comparison of mental health awareness, more people rated mental health work as important in 2020, up 6.1 percent from 12 years earlier, and people's awareness of mental health increased.

The signature change in mental health occurred in a cross-year comparison of "life satisfaction traits." The comparison shows that in 2008, residents' life satisfaction was more satisfied with family life and physical health, but less satisfied with material life. In 2020, the satisfaction with material life quality represented by housing and cars increased significantly, while the satisfaction with other aspects and the overall satisfaction decreased slightly. "This shows that there is a growing hidden demand for mental health services," said Ms Chan.

Looking at different time dimensions, people's perceptions of mental health are quite different. The report shows that people's mental health is significantly lower than it was ten years ago, and higher than it was a year ago. Looking at mental health expectations over the next five years, the report concludes that there are more positive expectations than negative ones.