The Department of Psychiatry and Psychology was founded by Professor Hongyun Gao in October 1998 and is one of the first institutions in China to provide mental health services for children under the age of 18. In order to provide more comprehensive mental health and psychological health services for children including their family, under the directions and strong supports from the leaders of the superior administration departments of the hospital and the leaders of our hospital , the department will add a psychiatric diagnosis and treatment subject in 2023. In January 2024, the department will be renamed as the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology (DPP), which includes two directions: mental health and clinical psychology. In April 2025, a psychiatric ward will be established to treat hospitalized psychiatric patients. It is one of the first children's specialized hospitals in China to carry out psychiatric inpatient services, and also the first children's hospital to establish a psychiatric ward in the main hospital.
The department has a professional and more energetic team with 26 employees, including 3 chief physicians（child psychiatrist） and 2 master's supervisors; 12 physicians （child psychiatrist） and 9 full-time psychotherapists; We have 4 PhDs and 16 Masters. In addition, the department regularly hires renowned pediatric psychiatric directors and deputy chief physicians from multiple hospitals to undertake outpatient work. The annual outpatient service volume is over 50000 person-time, with nearly 30000 person-time from consultations service for other departments of this hospital.
The department is based on clinical practice, adheres to clinical practice, and is committed to improving the mental health level of children and adolescents. It attaches great importance to the comprehensive development of medical research and prevention, and has achieved remarkable results in discipline construction and talent cultivation. Pediatric psychosomatic medicine has been selected as an important weak discipline construction project by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission. The department is the main unit of United Mental Health Promotion Center of Fudan University and Minhang District Government in Shanghai and also is a major member of the Shanghai Municipal Hospital Psychiatry Alliance. Multiple members of the department have been awarded honorary titles such as Outstanding Discipline Leader and Science Popularization Expert in Shanghai Public Health. Especially in recent years, the clinical diagnosis and treatment abilities of department personnel have been continuously improved, and have been unanimously recognized by peers and patients, with an increasing academic influence.
