Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from mental disorders, and stigma often poses a barrier to treatment. This study compared the demographic and psychopathological characteristics of patients from psychiatric and psychological outpatient clinics, providing evidence to inform optimal resource allocation. METHODS: This study retrospectively collected 25,379 data cases from September 2023 to February 2025. Symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). Statistical analyses employed mixed-effects ANOVA and network analysis. RESULTS: Patients from psychiatric outpatient clinics were significantly younger, with nearly half (49.60%) aged 16–24 years, while patients from psychological outpatient clinics were predominantly in the 25–44 years (51.37%). Significant differences were observed on all measures, including the SDS, SAS, and SCL-90 subscales. Network analysis revealed depression as the core symptom in psychiatry (strength 1.217–1.702) versus anxiety in psychological outpatient clinics (strength 0.957–1.632). CONCLUSION: These differences support optimized, age-targeted resource allocation. Integrated “Hospital-School-Home-Community” services for youth in psychiatric outpatient clinics and anxiety/stress-focused interventions for adults in psychological outpatient clinics. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-025-07564-y.