世界卫生组织的数据显示，中国目前约有5,400万人患有抑郁症，约4,100万人患有焦虑症。近年来，中国对心理咨询、诊断和治疗的需求持续增长。报告显示，到2023年，该行业的市场规模预计将超过950亿元人民币（147亿美元）。
截至2018年，中国仅有约6,000名心理学家，约120万名认证咨询师。然而，在120万名咨询师中，只有3万至4万名是全职或兼职从事心理咨询工作的，这数量远远低于实际需求。世界卫生组织建议的心理咨询师与人口数量比例应为1：1000，那么中国至少需要130万心理咨询师。
Yang Zhi, 21, a student in Qingdao, Shandong province, waited for two hours before he could finally get in for a follow-up diagnosis by a psychologist. All he received instead was just five minutes for a brief chat.
21岁的山东青岛学生Yang Zhi等了两个小时，终于接受到了心理医生的后续诊断。然而，所谓后续诊断只是五分钟的简短聊天。
Devastated, Yang wondered if consulting a psychologist for mental health solutions was the right thing to do anymore, given that the field appears to have acquired dimensions of a booming, profitable business.
Yang Zhi备受打击，考虑到该领域目前发展良好，可供选择的就诊服务很多，他不知道是否要继续向专业心理医生咨询心理健康问题。
Yang recalled with a sad face later: "It was different from what I had expected－a longer chat on my recent experiences. I also wanted to know if it's normal to forget things after starting to take prescribed antidepressants. But, my psychologist looked so hurried. She was frequently gazing at the long queue outside her office, and I couldn't get my mind straight in that situation."
Yang Zhi回忆道：“这和我预想的不一样——我以为会详细交谈我最近的情况。我还想知道在开始服用处方抗抑郁药后忘记事情是否正常，但是我的心理医生看起来很匆忙，她经常盯着办公室外排长队的人看，在那种情况下我也无法理清思路。”
Yang went on to recall his first-time visit to the clinic. "It was almost the same. I waited for more than an hour to see the doctor. It struck me that there were so many people who looked just fine from the outside but were struggling with various difficulties in their lives, just like me."
Yang Zhi继续回忆他第一次去诊所的情形， “都差不多，等了一个多小时才见到医生。不过令我震惊的是，竟然有那么多人和我一样，表面上看起来很好，但实际上却在生活中的各种困难中挣扎。”
He soon turned to online psychological consulting platforms, as suggested by his friends.
在朋友的建议下，他很快转向了互联网心理咨询平台。
"Offline clinics are crowded all the time. My friends told me online platforms are easier to access, have good confidentiality and can help users avoid the potential awkwardness of running into an acquaintance or a colleague, and are more flexible," Yang said.
“线下诊所一直人满为患。我的朋友告诉我，在线平台更容易访问，保密性好，还可以帮助用户避免可能遇到熟人或同事的尴尬，并且也更灵活。”Yang Zhi说。
"However, I was shocked to see some of the online counselors identifying themselves with fancy designations like 'relationship expert' and 'spiritual hypnosis instructors'. They offer services such as saving a relationship, helping one relieve stress after a breakup, as well as dealing with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. But somehow I find it hard to trust them," he said.
“然而，当我看到一些在线顾问以‘关系专家’、‘精神催眠师’等花哨的名称来标榜自己时，我感到很震惊。他们提供的服务诸如挽救一段关系、帮助你缓解分手后的压力等等，以及帮你解决焦虑症和强迫症。但不知为何，我发现我很难相信他们。”他说。
Yang is not the only one who is suffering from depression and not finding an ideal place for therapy.
Yang Zhi并不是唯一一个患有抑郁症但是找不到理想治疗场所的人。
Data from the World Health Organization shows that about 54 million people in China are currently suffering from depression, and about 41 million from anxiety disorders.
世界卫生组织的数据显示，中国目前约有5,400万人患有抑郁症，约4,100万人患有焦虑症。
Experts said worries associated with mental health have spurred a multibillion-dollar business. Yet, insufficient number of clinics and professionals has made online platforms an area of focus for investment, which has led to worries about their qualification and reliability.
专家表示，对心理健康的相关担忧刺激了数十亿美元的业务。然而，由于诊所和专业人士的数量不足，互联网平台成为了投资的重点领域，这导致了人们对其资质和可靠性的担忧。
In recent years, demand for psychological counseling, diagnosis, and treatment in China has continued to grow, spurring a business whose market size is estimated to exceed 95 billion yuan ($14.70 billion) by 2023, according to the LeadLeo Research Institute, a market research provider.
近年来，中国对心理咨询、诊断和治疗的需求持续增长。根据市场研究机构头豹研究院的数据显示，到2023年，该行业的市场规模预计将超过950亿元人民币（147亿美元）。
"At present, people in China are experiencing increasing pressure from competition at the workplace. In addition, the expansion of cities and mass rural-to-urban movement of residents make some people incapable of managing challenges associated with rapid urbanization," said Neil Wang, president of consultancy Frost & Sullivan China.
“目前，中国人在职场的竞争压力越来越大。另外，城市的扩张以及居民大规模的农村向城市流动，使得一些人无法应对快速城市化所带来的挑战。”著名咨询公司弗若斯特沙利文大中华区总裁王昕博士说道。
"Moreover, people also face great pressure from housing, providing good educational resources to the next generation, and taking care of their aging parents, especially when many middle-aged people are the only child in the family. All these factors have led to higher demand for psychological counseling, diagnosis, and treatment," Wang said.
“此外，人们还面临着种种巨大的压力，比如住房、比如为下一代提供良好的教育资源，以及照顾年迈的父母，特别是许多在家庭中是独生子女的中年人，压力尤为大。而所有上述情形导致了心理咨询、诊断和治疗的需求变得更高了。”王昕博士说。
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and self-quarantine requirements also had a huge impact on people's mental health, the report said. Many people who were interviewed have reflected that physical distancing from family and friends, as well as financial losses, have led to boredom, depression, anxiety, and many other symptoms.
报告称，COVID-19大流行的爆发和自我隔离的要求也对人们的心理健康产生了巨大影响。许多接受采访的人反映，要与家人和朋友保持物理上的距离，还有各种经济损失，导致了无聊、抑郁、焦虑和许多其他症状。
To cope with the problem, the Chinese government released a guideline on mental health protection. The government formed a team of specialists for real-time research and evaluation of major mental health issues, another team of psychologists for people's mental health assessment, grading, on-site treatment, a 24/7 hotline for psychological aid, and groups of other social forces.
为解决这一问题，中国政府发布了心理健康保护指南。政府组建了一支对重大心理健康问题进行实时研究和评估的专家团队，另有一支心理专家团队负责为人们的心理健康进行评估、分级以及现场治疗，提供7*24小时的心理援助热线，还有许多其他社会群体力量。
"The government, hospitals, and other social forces have made great efforts in offering mental health aid. However, the problem of insufficient number of offline clinics and professionals still exists, and has become more prominent than before," said Zhao Hao, founder and head of Golden Crown (Beijing) International Cultural Development Co Ltd, a Beijing-based counseling and training company specializing in parenting, marriage, and sexual harassment prevention.
“政府、医院等社会力量在心理健康援助方面做了很多努力，但线下诊所和专业人员不足的问题依然存在，而且比以往更加突出。”金色冠冕（北京）国际文化发展有限公司的创始人兼负责人赵豪表示，这是一家总部位于北京的专门从事育儿、婚姻和性骚扰预防等领域的咨询和培训公司。
According to a recent report by the LeadLeo Research Institute, a market research provider, how to educate children has become the second-most frequently counseled topic on online psychological clinics, after self-adjustment, and is followed by social interactions, career guidance and marriage issues. About 46 percent people surveyed showed strong demand for a parenting counseling session, according to the report, taking up a large part of the multibillion-dollar business.
头豹研究院最近的一份报告显示，如何教育孩子已成为仅次于自我调整的在线心理医疗平台咨询频率第二高的话题，其次是社交、职业指导和婚姻问题。报告称，大约46%的受访者表示对育儿咨询的需求很大，育儿咨询板块占据了数十亿美元业务的很大一部分。
The LeadLeo report showed that as of 2018, there were only about 6,000 psychologists, and about 1.2 million certified counselors in China. However, only 30,000 to 40,000 out of the 1.2 million counselors are working full-time or part-time in the area of psychological counseling. Their number is far below the actual demand. According to the WHO's suggested counselor: people ratio of 1:1,000, China needs at least 1.3 million psychological counselors, the LeadLeo report said.
头豹的报告显示，截至2018年，中国仅有约6,000名心理学家，约120万名认证咨询师。然而，在120万名咨询师中，只有3万至4万名是全职或兼职从事心理咨询工作的，这数量远远低于实际需求。报告称，世界卫生组织建议的心理咨询师与人口数量比例应为1：1000，那么中国至少需要130万心理咨询师。
"There is great market demand for occupational training on how to become a psychological counselor, because more and more people find the sector promising and want to step in, while becoming a counselor has relatively lower requirements compared with becoming a psychiatrist or psychologist," Zhao said.
“心理咨询师的职业培训市场需求很大，因为越来越多的人觉得这个行业有前途，想进入这个行业，而成为心理咨询师与成为心理医生或心理学家相比，要求相对较低。”赵昊说。
Currently in China, there are three types of people who can solve mental health related problems: psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychological counselors.
目前在中国，可以解决心理健康相关问题的人分为三类：精神科医生、心理学家和心理咨询师。
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have a focus on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental health disorders.
精神科医生是专注于诊断、治疗和预防精神健康障碍的医生。
Psychologists may not necessarily be doctors. They offer diagnosis and therapies to help patients cope with a variety of stresses, heal from trauma, and manage to control mental health disorders.
心理学家不一定是医生。他们提供诊断和治疗，以帮助患者应对各种压力、从创伤中康复并设法控制心理健康障碍。
Psychological counselors spend time talking with patients about an issue and working through it in one-on-one counseling sessions. But they do not have the right to offer prescription or diagnosis.
心理咨询师花时间与患者讨论一个问题，并在一对一的咨询中解决它，但他们无权提供处方或诊断。
In the past, psychological counselors were required to undergo specialized vocational training, pass certain examinations, and obtain a government-issued license before they could engage in psychological counseling activities.
在过去，心理咨询师必须经过专门的职业培训，通过一定的考试，并取得政府颁发的执照才能从事心理咨询活动。
In 2017, the license was canceled by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, which implemented a checklist management mechanism for psychological counselors in order to raise the bar for entry-level counselors.
2017年，人力资源和社会保障部取消了该执照，实施心理咨询师清单管理机制，以提高初级咨询师的门槛。
The LeadLeo report pointed out that requirements for previous license application were at a low level, and the examinations were also not tough enough.
头豹的报告指出，以前的心理咨询师执照申请要求较低，考试也不够严格。
"At present, there is no unified standard across the country to determine whether a person is qualified to conduct psychological counseling and treatment work. As a result, educational backgrounds, practical experience, and personal abilities become important factors that clinics would consider when hiring new people," Zhao said.
“目前，国内还没有一个统一的标准来判断一个人是否有资格从事心理咨询和治疗工作，因此教育背景、实践经验和个人能力成为诊所在招聘新人时考虑的重要因素。”赵豪说。
"However, the industry still faces challenge as there are quite a number of unqualified counselors, and even psychologists, who lack decent educational background or good practicing performance, but are still working to offer consultation or treatment to patients," he said.
“然而，这个行业仍然面临着很多挑战，因为有相当多的不合格的咨询师，甚至心理学家，他们缺乏良好的教育背景或优秀的实践表现，但仍在为患者提供咨询或治疗。”他说。
With the rapid development of the internet technology and more young people seeking psychological counseling, an increasing number of people are turning to online platforms for psychological counseling and treatment.
随着互联网技术的飞速发展，以及越来越多的年轻人寻求心理咨询，转向在线平台进行心理咨询和治疗的人数正在迅速增长。
Sun Fei, 28, a Beijing-based office worker, has been banking on online mental health care platform haoxinqing.cn. The Chinese name translates to good mood.
Sun Fei，28岁，北京上班族，一直依赖于一个精神心理健康领域互联网医疗平台haoxinqing.cn，中文名字翻译为好心情。
"On haoxinqing, I can choose from various doctors at hospitals across the country with a simple mouse-click or screen-tap. I also get to choose whether to call, text, or set up an in-person meeting for diagnosis. It is much more convenient and flexible than going to an offline clinic," Sun said.
“在好心情网站上，我可以通过简单的鼠标或屏幕点击，在全国各地的医院的医生中进行选择。我还可以选择是通过电话、短信的方式进行诊断，又或者是进行面谈。这比去线下诊所方便和灵活得多。”Sun Fei说。
"In addition, the website has a specific column for each doctor which clearly states their educational and clinical experience, and which hospitals they are currently working in. The design makes it look reliable," she said.
“而且该网站为每位医生都设有一个特定的专栏，清楚地介绍了他们的教育背景和临床经验，以及他们目前在哪家医院工作。这样的设计使这个网站看起来很可靠。”Sun Fei说。
Compared to offline clinics, online platforms take advantage of fragmented time from doctors and their demand for making more money aside from regular salary, in order to offer patients services that are more flexible, easier to access, and have sufficient time to communicate, the LeadLeo report said.
头豹研究报告表示，与线下诊所相比，在线平台利用医生碎片化的时间以及他们除了固定薪水之外想要赚取更多收入的需求，为患者提供更灵活、更容易获得、有足够时间沟通的服务。
The report also said online hospitals and clinics with a number of psychiatrists and psychologists from hospitals just like haoxinqing can earn a profit through diagnosis, treatment, and counseling services.
报告还称，像“好心情”这样拥有许多精神科医生和心理医生的互联网医疗平台，可以通过诊断、治疗和咨询服务赚取利润。
In September, ByteDance, parent company of short video-sharing app TikTok, led the C round of investment in haoxinqing, marking the largest financing of online platforms in the area.
9月，短视频应用TikTok 的母公司字节跳动领投好心情C轮融资，成为国内精神心理互联网赛道最大一笔融资。
Apart from online hospitals and clinics, there are also organizations and businesses that focus on training, counseling, and other forms of services to make a profit.
除了互联网医疗平台，还有一些组织和企业专注于培训、咨询和其他形式的服务以获得盈利。
Take KnowYourself. Founded in 2016, the company has a WeChat account that focuses on producing content to help readers with all sorts of problems in personal growth, work, and relationships.
以KnowYourself 为例，该公司成立于2016年，其微信公众号专注于输出内容，帮助读者解决个人在成长、工作和人际关系中的各种问题。
It also developed an app called Yueshi (Chinese for lunar eclipse), which offers services like counseling, psychological assessments, guidance on practicing breathing and meditation, online communities for people to share thoughts, as well as games, videos, and voices to help people relieve pressure.
该公司还开发了一款名为“月食”的应用程序，为用户提供心理咨询、心理评估、呼吸和冥想指导等服务，用户可以在在线社区分享他们的心情、想法，该软件还提供了许多帮助用户缓解压力的游戏、视频和音频等等。
To date, KnowYourself's social media accounts have more than 10 million users. "Online psychological counseling and treatment platforms are developing rapidly in recent years, but the industry lacks a standard to supervise involving psychologists and counselors to determine whether they are qualified to offer a range of services," Zhao of Golden Crown said.
迄今为止，KnowYourself 的社交媒体帐户拥有超过1000万用户。“在线心理咨询和治疗平台近年来发展迅速，但还缺乏一个行业标准来监督其中的心理学家和咨询师，以确定他们是否有资格提供一系列服务。” 金色冠冕的赵豪说。
"The industry also lacks regulations to govern online platforms' offers to 'treat' patients. Some online platforms have launched services that are eye-catching but not recognized by professionals or assessed by any academic research," he said.
“该行业也缺乏监管在线平台如何治疗患者的规定。一些在线平台推出了一些夺人眼球的服务，但这些服务并未被专业人士认可，或者没有任何学术研究评估过。”赵豪说。
"Going forward, more efforts are needed to guarantee the industry's long-term sustainable development," he said.
“展望未来，我们需要做出更多努力来保障行业的长期可持续发展。”赵豪表示。
*本文转载自《China Daily》，作者为LIU YUKUN，原文名为《Wanted: Caregivers for a beautiful mind》。
