China Initiatives

The transition-to-market economy has radically transformed the society and people’s daily life in China during the past 2-3 decades. Along with the rapid economical development, the burden of mental and behavioral problems appears to be growing. China has at least 100 million people suffering from mental illness, according to the Chinese National Center for Mental Health. Mental illness has now overtaken heart disease and cancer as the biggest burden on the Chinese health system.

One major challenge with mental health in China is that the country faces a drastic shortage of qualified mental health professionals. Only in the past several decades has psychiatry in China emerged as an important scientific enterprise. Only a limited number of leading academic mental health institutions have developed research infrastructure, and therefore are able to provide rigorous training in research, especially in clinical research.

As a national leader in public sector psychiatry, The UMass Psychiatry Department is committed to global health and has the capacity to help address mental health challenges in China. The China Mental Health Program within the UMass Psychiatry Department has been growing, and has led to collaborative relationships with multiple leading academic mental health institutions in China. For more information about the program, click here.