Average length of stay for inpatients in Chinese psychiatric hospitals 2015-2021

In 2021, inpatients with mental health conditions stayed, on average, more than 55 days in psychiatric hospitals in China. The figure increased more than 11 percent in comparison to 2015 and is almost five times higher than the average length of stay figure among all hospitals in China.

Pressure on treatment staff and hospitals

Due to the nature of mental illnesses, and special regulations governing the discharge of mentally impaired patients in China, treatment times for some patients can be very long. As a result, despite the rapid expansion of the country's mental health services in the past decade, the occupancy rate of psychiatric hospital beds remained high. Doctors working in psychiatric hospitals also face higher workloads and pressure than their colleagues from other hospitals.

The market for psychiatric healthcare

The insufficient capacity of public psychiatric hospitals, inequality between regions, and the nature of mental conditions made psychiatric treatment a highly profitable business. The number of private psychiatric hospitals skyrocketed in the last decade, with many new hospitals commissioned in rural areas. Alongside local mental healthcare facilities, psychiatric hospital chains and listed companies are also gaining ground and expanding.