New measures

Yao said psychological education that helps students cope with social relationship problems is often not highlighted in Chinese schools.

"But the students have great passion for learning about these things," she said. Her classroom at Peking University seats 220, but the school had to arrange for a larger room last semester to meet the demand from students.

"Most of the younger generation come from one-child families. Some have little experience in dealing with interpersonal conflicts. They are also used to their parents solving problems for them, and I've met many students who spend all their time studying and are less focused on adjusting their mood."

Psychological problems can easily lead to fatal results if not detected early through intervention. Beijing Normal University has established a psychological emergency intervention system for students, and senior psychologist Zhang hopes it will prove beneficial.

"First, all the teachers and even the guards and dormitory keepers monitor the students' behavior and moods. They can report to us or intervene if they discover anything abnormal. Second, each class has a psychological counseling envoy, he said.

"They live and work with their classmates, so it's easy for them to discover problems and offer counseling. If they feel strongly enough, they can refer the students to our counseling center for professional help."

Contact the writers at hena@chinadaily.com.cn, and yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn