Mental Health Care in Shanghai

Shanghai is a big city with a population of over ten million people. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, much progress has been made in mental health care in Shanghai. Whereas before liberation the city had only 12 psychiatrists and 400 hospital beds for mental patients, we now have 328 psychiatrists (104 senior and 224 junior doctors), 822 psychiatric nurses, and a total bed capacity of 5,838, or an average of 50/100,000 population. In recent years we have established a three-level (municipal, district, and community) mental health network. With this setup we have been able to mobilize our medical personnel to work together with the patients' employers, family members, and neighborhood committees, thus creating a comprehensive plan for cooperative effort in providing mental health care.