Mental health agencies free of govt control are necessary

XU XUELING, a resident in East China's Shandong province, was reportedly diagnosed as "mentally ill" and locked up in a mental health institution in 2008 and 2009 when she appealed to the higher authorities against the local government. After being sued by the local government last year for compensation, she was diagnosed as "not mentally ill" and "capable of payment". Southern Metropolis Daily calls for independent mental health institutions free of local government control:

There are many problems with Xu's diagnosis. She has been diagnosed as "mentally ill" with no evidence but the records of local officials. Her family was not even informed.

It has long been an open secret that local governments control mental health institutions and use them to detain disobedient residents. As early as December 2008, Beijing News reported that some citizens that appealed to the higher authorities in their disputes with local governments had been incarcerated in mental health institutions.