(Photo : Mentally-incapacitated Patients)

Last September 2, the NHFPC or the National Health and Family Planning issued a memorandum managing patients who are ill with schizophrenia, paranoia schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and persistent delusional disorder or any among the six categories of severe mental disturbance in China's first Mental Health law which took into effect last May.

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It is stated in the memorandum that patients and those who inflict danger to other people should be noted in the National Mental Illness Information Administration System.

It is also stated that the patient's personal data should be strictly confidential to ensure privacy and protection of the client and the divulging of information to other people concerned or institutions is forbidden, with the exception of special circumstance stipulated by law or ordered by the court.

Medical Institutions or hospitals should receive reports of patients suffering from the grave mental illness right after the diagnosis by a doctor, said the memorandum.

The medical Institutions or hospitals then should record the patients in the National System, or present a written report to a County-level mental illness prevention and treatment agency in 10 days after the discharge of the patient from the medical Institution or hospital.

Then County-level mental illness prevention and treatment agency then have to inform the medical institution close to the patient's home so that doctors can pay a regular visit to the patient and guide them in proper treatment and rehabilitation.

With this new system, reporting the patient's information will help reinforce cooperation between medical institutions or hospitals, disabled persons' federations, civil affairs departments, and public security bureaus in order to reduce any harm to others and society.

According to the most recent data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, more than 100 million Chinese suffered from mental disorders including 16 million suffering from grave mental illnesses.