Mental health hotlines are coming

The top health authority has launched a nationwide mental health program, requesting each province to set up at least one psychological counseling hotline by the end of the year, according to a notice from the Ministry of Health yesterday.

The hotlines, to be based in local mental health hospitals, will provide services free of charge. Their goal will be to help address varied mental problems afflicting the public in the country today. The hotlines would connect callers to convenient and affordable psychological services and help decrease losses caused by mental problems, the notice said.

This is the first such program ever initiated by the government. It comes after several criminal acts, including mass killings, were found to be committed by someone suspected of being mentally ill.