Mental health enters a new frontier

"Normally we have 13 beds, but the ward can accommodate up to 15 or 16 patients if necessary," Yang says.

The ward evolved from an alcohol dependence unit established in 2008. As internet use became widespread and gaming-related problems increased, the hospital expanded its focus to behavioral addiction.

"Based on our clinical experience, about half of our patients are addicted to the internet or online games, and most are between 12 and 20 years old. The other half are mainly patients with other addictions such as alcohol dependence," Yang says.

One teenager left a lasting impression on him. Obsessed with online games, the boy repeatedly fought with his parents, shouted at home, disturbed neighbors, and eventually dropped out of school. His parents ultimately brought him to the hospital against his will. After spending two weeks in a closed ward to disconnect from the internet, he was transferred to the behavioral addiction ward for psychotherapy and medication.

Yang also recalls one of the ward's most successful recoveries — a 32-year-old man who lost his job because of excessive mobile gaming. Admitted shortly after the ward opened, he gradually regained control of his life through treatment.

Years of clinical practice have also reshaped Yang's understanding of the disorder. "Pure gaming disorder is actually uncommon. About 70 percent of our patients also have other psychiatric conditions, such as depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, or anxiety disorders," he adds.

For Yang, however, the work brings more responsibility than recognition. He entered the Department of Mental Health at Beijing Medical University — now Peking University Health Science Center — in 1994, receiving comprehensive training in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, neurology, and psychiatry before joining Huilongguan Hospital in 1999.

Looking back over more than two decades, he has witnessed a quiet but profound shift in public awareness of mental health.

"When I first came here, we saw only a few dozen outpatients a day," he says. "Now, treating more than 1,500 patients a day has become routine at our hospital."

As the interview draws to a close, two nurses hurry over, carrying a new case file. Before there is time to exchange a proper goodbye, Yang is already discussing the patient's condition. It is a brief but telling scene: in the time it takes to say farewell, another family's struggle has already become his next mission.