Efforts called for on students' mental health(4)

A student tries a virtual reality spinning session that helps relieve users of negative emotions at a mental health center in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, in May. (CHINA DAILY)

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, said the threshold for the psychological counseling industry in China is relatively low, and many child psychologists lack professional qualifications.

Some commercial psychological counseling institutions provide services that may not only be ineffective, but could also exacerbate adolescents' psychological issues, he said.

The diagnoses of children's depression may be inappropriately expanded to psychological diseases because of limited time for treatment or unprofessional methods, he added.

Ding proposed strengthening frustration education in schools, teaching young students how to effectively manage negative emotions.

"We could train children's psychological resilience to frustration from kindergarten, while adjustments could be made in family education," he said.

It's essential to engage children in outdoor activities and sports to prevent internet addiction. "In addition, we should guard against the abuse of sleep aids and related drugs," he added.

Political advisers in the education sector made multiple proposals to address the concerns over students' mental health issues during the group meeting of the recently concluded two sessions, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Liu Aiping, Party secretary of the China International Youth Exchange Center, said at the meeting that the emphasis that "it is a life failure if you don't get into a prestigious university" should be rectified to alleviate the anxiety of students, parents and teachers.

Ma Jinglin, principal of Beijing No 4 High School, suggested building a management system involving the family, school and hospitals to ensure smoother communication concerning students' mental health.

Gao Jinfeng, the principal of an education group in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, said the education ministry could initiate with other departments the building of an individual mental health archive for every student in the country.

Authorities responded to those concerns during the meeting. The education ministry has listed 20 major tasks regarding the issue, including establishing a platform to monitor students' mental health.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said more effort will be focused on online guidance for teenagers' mental health. The National Health Commission will continue training professional psychologists and strengthening the popularization of mental health knowledge, it said.