Chinese colleges to track students' mental health

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has ordered universities to keep individual psychological health records for each incoming new student amid rising concern over campus suicides, state media reported on Wednesday.

all first-year students will receive a psychological checkup upon entering school,

all students will undergo one hour a week of instruction on psychological issues for one semester

About 700,000 students are studying at Beijing-based colleges and universities, but there were only 108 counselors

Disproportionate rates of suicide and depression among young people have appeared along with increasing stress

"This is part of a crisis prevention system designed to detect signs of psychological problems and prevent them from escalating into crises,"

Nearly 685 people commit suicide every day in China and at least 2 million try to kill themselves every year