Bibliometric Analysis Of The Research Status Of Mental Disorders In China And Abroad, 1996 To 2005

Objective: To investigate the status and development trend of the research on mental disorders in China and abroad; to analyze the hot spot and key point of the research on mental disorders and the difference between domestic and abroad; to investigate the difference of medical research and social intervention for mental disorders between domestic and abroad; to investigate the weak link of social study on mental disorders in China, and to present reference for the government to improve mental health work and to formulate related policies.Methods: The method of subject-word retrieval was used to select articles about mental disorders from two dababases, Pubmed and CBMWeb. The bibliometric analysis was performed.Results: In recent 10 years, the number of the literatures about mental disorders increased in China or abroad. The research structure of mental disorders in China was similar to that abroad. The key points of the research on mental disorders were etiology, epidemiology, therapy and diagnosis for mental disorders. There were no significant differences between the proportion of the number of literatures in etiology and psychology abroad (from 1996 to 2005), between prevention and rehabilitation abroad (from 2001 to 2005), also between epidemiology and diagnosis in China(from 1997 to 2005), and between prevention and rehabilitation domestic(from 1996 to 2002). There were also no significant differences between the proportion of the number of literatures in medical study and that in social intervention abroad, compared with significant differences in China.Conclusion: The development trend of the research on mental disorders in China is unanimous with that abroad, but social study is obviously weak, which confirms the information about China in World Health Organization Mental Health Atlas 2005. The researchers of mental disorders should strengthen the studies on the psychology and rehabilitation treatment for mental disorders, which need the cooperation of medical staffs, psychologists and sociologists.