Advancing mental health care: Taiwan’s new policy directions

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President-elect Lai Ching-te's pre-election proposals, including a "Mental Health Plan for Young People" and "Mental Health Leave," have been widely recognized by the medical community.

The Taiwan Health Movement Alliance (THMA) said Monday (April 1) that Lai's "Healthy Taiwan" forums, held across the nation, have been enthusiastically attended by medical professionals. Among the proposals, the "Increased Mental Health Support" was highlighted by the medical community.

Su Kuan-pin, a professor at China Medical University College of Medicine, said society generally overlooks mental health, making this an important policy with immediate impact. Su noted that Lai's push for policies that "give children more space to breathe," including promoting digital models of psychiatric care and psychological counseling, are very helpful for early treatment and prevention.

Su suggested that Taiwan could refer to treatment guidelines in Europe and America, where the first line of treatment for psychosomatic diseases is psychological intervention, not medication. He also recommended looking at models in the UK and Australia and training community mental health gatekeepers to integrate into community mental health centers. He said that establishing dedicated child and adolescent psychiatry centers and developing integrated treatment models centered on children and adolescents are important directions.

Su emphasized that regular routines, stress management education, and nutritional control are helpful for physical and mental health. If Lai could publicly advocate for the importance of physical and mental health and lead by example, not only taking care of his own health but also serving as a role model for young people, it would be very beneficial for building a healthy Taiwan.

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