Virtual Mental Health Services During COVID-19 Epidemic in China
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic emerged in Wuhan, China, spread nationwide last December and then swept the globe in early 2020. After being declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January, COVID-19 was later announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) as pandemic in March (WHO,2020). Apart from the serious threats to people’s physical health, the COVID-19 epidemic also has significant psychological consequences, such as panic disorder, anxiety and depression that affect people more than the disease itself and possess the possibility of transforming collective trauma to generational trauma. The essay focuses on the mental health services provided in China and its virtual nature as the salient characteristic, summarizes the progression of virtual psychological interventions, analyzes the challenges of the online mental health services during COVID-19 epidemic in China.