People with mental health problems will be able to get the help they need more quickly and easily after Dongcheng district opens psychological counseling centers in each of its residential areas.
The move follows two recent murder sprees in Daxing district that highlighted the shortage of help for some vulnerable people, according to the Dongcheng bureau of civil affairs.
An official from the bureau was quoted in Beijing News as saying the centers will be aimed at improving the mental health of young people and other special groups.
The two Daxing murder cases - in November and December - ended in the deaths of eight people. Local media reported that the murders both involved killers who had been under massive pressure before they snapped. The cases highlighted the need for psychological centers throughout Beijing, the reports said.
A survey on the Beijing News website showed more than 60 percent of the 619 respondents believed such centers were needed in all residential areas.
An official, surnamed Li, from Daxing health service management center, told METRO they had equipped five medical staff in each of the 148 health service centers in Daxing district. The personnel will be able to conduct basic counseling.
Some observers questioned whether people who are at risk will feel comfortable enough to open up to doctors at the centers.
A medical worker, surnamed Yang, from the Shijingshan district residential health center, said many people hold the traditional view that you should not wash your dirty laundry in public.
"To encourage more people to speak out and share their true feelings with doctors is important because this helps doctors offer better treatment," he said.
According to Beijing News, the city will ultimately establish 351 health service centers and more than 2,000 health service stations in every district of the city - many will be able to provide basic psychological counseling services.
On Sept 10, the seventh world suicide prevention day, 113,664 people called a psychological help hotline in Beijing. About 26 percent were local and 70 percent of the callers said they had not accessed any help prior to their phone call.