Mental Disorders Cost Most Among All Diseases in China

Mental disorders cost most among all diseases in China

HAIKOU, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — Expenses on mental health ranked first among all diseases in China, making up 20 percent of the total spending, said an official from the Ministry of Health at a recent medical-care symposium held in this capital city of south China’s Hainan Province.

The proportion is expected to reach 25 percent in 2020, said Qi Xiaoqiu, head of the disease control and prevention department of the ministry.

According to Qi, there are approximately 16 million mental disorder sufferers in China.

Abnormal behaviours of children, psychological problems of students, senile dementia and depression, drug abuse and suicide attempts are on the rise across the nation.

Qi said China has built 600-plus medical institutes targeted at mental disorders, involving 120,000 beds and 15,000 doctors for the sufferers.