This blog reflects my deep interest in the different ways the various cultures and subcultures in this world conceive of the world and our lives within it. I was born in Asia, hold a UK passport, lived for most of my adult life in France, and now live in the US as a resident alien, working as a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco. Issues of cultural identity and displacement are very close to 'home' for me, and for many of my clients.

Sunday, February 21, 2021

China's 'Empty Heart Syndrome'

Chinese psychologist Professor Xu Kaiwen, the deputy head of the mental health education and counseling center at Peking University, has named a new syndrome he sees among China's top students. He calls it 'empty heart syndrome': kōngxīn bìng 空心病 

I teach on the online Chinese MA in Applied Psychology being offered by the California Institute of Integral Studies and Zijing Education Group in China, and it was my students that alerted me to this newly named syndrome.

Here's another point of view though, suggesting sampling bias may be part of the perception of students' negative mood.

For an excellent discussion of the state of the burgeoning mental health industry in China, see Li Zhang's 'Anxious China'. 


No comments:

Post a Comment