OBJECTIVES

It is estimated that over 1 billion people globally have a mental, neurodevelopment or substance abuse disorder. The objective of this study was to evaluate the burden of mental disorders and the impact of mental disorders on health outcomes in China and Japan.

METHODS

Data were obtained from population-based China and Japan’s National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). Respondents in 2013 (n=30,000 in Japan, n=19,987 in China), 2017 (n=19,994 in China), and 2018 (n=30,000 in Japan) were included. Respondents who self-report of being diagnosed of mental disorders were compared with respondents without any mental conditions on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI).

RESULTS

From 2013 to 2017/2018, the proportion of self-reported experience of mental disorders increased in Japan and China, but the proportion of self-reported diagnosis of mental disorders stayed similar or declined. In China, in 2017, 27.1% of respondents who experienced mental conditions had a physician diagnosis (2013: 50.7%); while in Japan in 2018, 70% of the respondents who experienced mental conditions had a physician diagnosis (2013: 87.3%). After adjusting for potential confounders, mental component score (MCS) of patients diagnosed with mental disorders were severely impaired, compared to those without mental conditions in both Japan and China (Japan: 37.36 vs.49.15; China: 42.28 vs.49.0). Physical component scores (PCS) were also significantly lower among respondents with mental conditions (Japan: 48.14 vs.51.82; China: 45.69 vs.49.91). MCS and WPAI impairment were more severe in Japan.

CONCLUSIONS

Humanistic burden of mental disorders was greater in Japan compared to China, which might be due to the higher rate of diagnosis compared to China. In China, there is a need to educate patients to seek medical attention, while there is a need for public health programs to support patients with mental conditions with prevalence of stigmatizing attitude towards mental disorders in both countries.