Hotline for Mental Health in Shanghai, China

In this article the author introduces the Hotline for Mental Health in Shanghai. According to the experience gained over the past 2 years, most of the 8214 callers were having difficulties in interpersonal relationships, often in relation to lovers and partners. Love affairs were the main reason for telephone consultation among the unmarried callers (51%), while marital disputes and family problems were the most common reason for married callers (57%). Some people who suffered from mental disorders made calls asking for help in management or social support. These calls included rehabilitation of psychoses (3.5%), sleep disturbance (3.2%), and suicidal ideation (2.2%). The author suggests that such a hotline service can be a simple and practicable crisis intervention approach for suicide prevention in Shanghai.