Mental Health Services in Rural China: A Qualitative Study of Primary Health Care Providers

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the challenges that primary health care providers faced in the process of delivering mental healthcare and assess their attitudes towards patients with mental health problems. In-depth interviews were conducted among 42 primary health care providers in two counties of Guangxi province, China. All interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed thematically. Primary health care providers in both counties faced the same difficulties: lack of professional knowledge, fear of patients' attack, more extra work, and less subsidies. However, most of primary health care providers (30/42) were still willing to do mental healthcare management. All the interviewees considered that communication skills with patients and their family members, proper attitude (without discrimination), and the professional knowledge of mental health are required. There are still several participants (15/42) who showed negative attitude toward mental disorders. Nearly all the respondents (39/42) emphasized the importance of increasing their income or subsidies by the government. This qualitative study provides insights into mental health services in rural communities of Guangxi and identified issues that could be considered in engaging primary health care providers in the management of mental disorders.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural China

“…Thus, screening and management of PTSD and other mental health problems is essential and should be integrated into current HIV-related healthcare services. However, there exists a huge gap between need for mental health care and sufficiently trained professionals in rural China (34,35). Healthcare providers in village-level health facilities lack knowledge and skills to diagnose and treat mental illnesses of HIV-positive individuals (35).…”

“…Healthcare providers in village-level health facilities lack knowledge and skills to diagnose and treat mental illnesses of HIV-positive individuals (35). PTSD and other psychiatric problems remained disproportionally undiagnosed, and the available mental health care is very limited (34). Intervention efforts are urgently needed to provide training to healthcare providers in rural areas on how to identify and tackle psychiatric illnesses, like PTSD, for PLHA.…”

Attitude towards Mental Illness among Primary Healthcare Providers: A Community-Based Study in Rural China

“…The National Continuing Management and Intervention Program for Psychoses (686 Program) has been developed in Liujiang since 2006. However, Liucheng County is the control area in this study, and its socioeconomic development level and capacity of rural health services are comparable with Liujiang County, and it still follows the traditional hospital-centric model of community mental health services [ 4 ].…”

“…Guangxi is a less developed area in China with a lack of mental health professionals, especially in rural communities. Due to the shortage and urban-centered unequal distribution of mental health professionals, the improvement and development of community mental healthcare has to rely on the primary healthcare providers, also known as “village doctors” who are usually from the same community and are familiar with the community members in the area [ 4 ]. Mental healthcare provision should be switched from traditional psychiatric hospitals-centered pattern to hospital-community based service pattern.…”

Equality in the distribution of health material and human resources in Guangxi: evidence from Southern China

“…On the one hand, Guangxi is an underdeveloped area in China [3]. There exist regional gaps in socio-economic development and health material and human resources allocation within Guangxi [4].…”