To have someone talk with you, call 12356 (China's national mental-health hotline); minors and teenagers call 12355 (national youth integrated service platform); to see a doctor, register at a psychological clinic
- High value
- Evidence B
- Saves money
- Free
- Takes minutes
- No willpower
If you are thinking about suicide right now, call or text 988. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
In plain words
If you want someone to talk to, call 12356, the national psychological assistance hotline, which is free. For minors and teenagers there is also the 12355 youth integrated service platform (青少年综合服务平台). To see a doctor, register at the psychological clinic of a psychiatry, psychology or clinical psychology department. When there is a family upheaval, unemployment or dropping out of school, community grid workers and social workers are supposed to reach out on their own.
- Cost
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Free. Both hotlines are free. Psychological clinics are registered like ordinary outpatient visits.
- What you get
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A 2026 plan from 25 departments including the National Health Commission requires improving the work system of the 12356 psychological assistance hotline. It must run stably and raise the connection rate. It pushes for a provincial 12356 information platform to be set up. It strengthens the coordination mechanism with service hotlines such as 110. It also calls for building up and making good use of the 12355 youth integrated service platform and coordinating with 12356. By 2030 there are three goals. First, more than 80% of administrative villages and urban communities have a counseling room or social work room and provide psychological services. Second, at every level the public psychiatric specialty hospitals, and at least 1 hospital in each county (district), provide psychological clinic services. Third, every province has a provincial 12356 psychological assistance platform. The psychological crisis intervention and assistance teams are made up of psychiatrists, psychotherapy technicians, counselors, professional social workers and volunteers. The plan also requires three kinds of people to watch for problems in daily life and spot them early. These three kinds of people are grid workers (community staff each responsible for an area), professional social workers and volunteers. They are to promptly detect psychological crisis risks such as family upheaval, unemployment and dropping out of school (nationwide, issued in March 2026).
- Notes
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It is graded B because the counseling rooms in villages and communities and the psychological clinics at county level are goals to be met by 2030, not something every place has now. 12356 and 12355 can be called today. For when 12356 opened and how many hours a day it answers, see §1.25. Psychological counseling and psychotherapy are not the same thing. Diagnosing and prescribing must be done by a psychiatrist, and treatment should be at a qualified medical institution. Hourly-fee “healing” and “spiritual counseling” on the market are not part of this system.
- Evidence grade
- B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
- Sources
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- 国家卫生健康委等 25 部门 (2026). 关于印发健全社会心理服务体系和危机干预机制实施方案的通知（国卫医政发〔2026〕8 号）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202604/content_7065035.htm
Mentioned in
- If you have no relatives and no friends, replace “the person who keeps watch on you” with three things: a neighbor who can get into your home, the community's visit list, and an emergency contact in your phone
- In the first three months after a blow, put off every big decision that can't be undone
- Treat the first ten years after becoming disabled as a high-risk period for suicide, and don't write it off as something “cheer up” will fix
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 29, tip 11. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer