Hotline offers counseling amid outbreak

Psychologists from Beijing Normal University's center provide help to people, medical staff

The day starts early for Nie Xilun as the 31-year-old began counseling from home since the third day of Lunar New Year for those going through psychological trauma amid novel coronavirus outbreak.

Nie is one of over 200 psychologists at the Mental Health Service Center at the Beijing Normal University, which set up a hotline for psychological counseling for the public.

"During initial stages of the outbreak, because of the lockdown, many seeking psychological consultation often said their life was hopeless," said Nie. "The spread of information online has increased public concerns in the last few days."

"When will the epidemic end" and "Do I have COVID-19" were some of the common questions asked by callers in the early days.

"Many felt they had novel coronavirus pneumonia, and they were afraid they would fall sick."

In recent days, the rush to seek help has greatly reduced as the people have overcome concerns through phone counseling, Nie said.

The counseling takes about 30 minutes per session, said the consultant.

The psychological consultation team of the Beijing Normal University, which works in four shifts-from 6 am to 12 midnight-was divided into four groups to answer people's queries.