At the same time, the agency applauded Chinese government efforts at taking immediate steps to halt the outbreak of infectious diseases in the aftermath of the huge earthquake that struck southwestern Sichuan province in May.
The devastating earthquake killed at least 70,000 people and left millions homeless. The government estimates as many as 60,000 people need professional psychological help.
The World Health Organization's China representative Hans Troedsson, who recently visited the quake disaster area, said China's Ministry of Health has asked WHO to help with training of people to provide specific support for dealing with mental health.
Troedsson estimates that up to 10 percent of the affected population will have some kind of need of psycho-social support, especially those who have undergone amputations and need to be rehabilitated. Counseling will also focus on children who survived the nation's deadliest temblor in 32 years.
China, with a population of 1.3 billion, has about 19,000 psychiatrists.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, an estimated 1,000 psychiatrists and psychologists were mobilized from around the country to provide psycho-social support, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported.
