Abstract
What is already known about this topic? Mental and substance use disorders have notable contributions to the disease burden in China. What is added by this report? In China, mental disorders and substance use disorders accounted for 20.29 million and 5.76 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019, respectively; depressive disorders were the leading cause of DALYs. For mental disorders, the numbers of DALYs increased 12.06% from 2000 to 2019 while the standardized rates declined 5.24%; for substance use disorders, both the numbers and standardized rates of DALYs decreased 8.52% and 18.52%, respectively. What are the implications for public health practices? Mental and substance use disorders pose a challenge to the healthcare system in China. The government should take action and decrease the associated burden of disease.