Abstract: The epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome（SARS）in 2003 brought influence on the mental health of Chinese people. Some hotlines of psychological counseling opened in the SARS period, which became a effective support channel to people and help to release the social pressure and promoted the recover of social system. The present paper discussed the effect and characters of hotline coping with the emergent event of public health, basing on the data from SARS Hotline by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Key words: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), emergent events of public health, counseling hotline