More than 70 percent of the mentally ill in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, have not received regular treatment, local media reported on Thursday.

"The main problem is that most of the mentally ill and their family members feel ashamed and refuse to see doctors," Ning Yuping, president of Guangzhou hospital of mental diseases, told the Guangzhou Daily.

"The costly medical fee is another problem," she said.

Ning said many mental illnesses can be treated, enabling patients to return to study or work after they recover.

She urged those who suffer from mental illness to seek professional help.

"Meanwhile, society should not discriminate against the mentally ill," she said.

Official statistics show Guangzhou has more than 46,000 registered mental patients.

Experts have estimated that Guangzhou actually has at least 60,000 who suffer from mental illness, though less than 30 percent of them receive regular treatment, the report said.

The difference between the two figures on the size of the mentally ill population in Guangzhou is due to the number of those who are mentally ill but refuse to register with the relevant departments.

In Guangdong province, which has a population of 110 million, the number of those who suffer from some form of mental illness may be more than 1 million, experts said.

In China, fees for treating mental illness are the most expensive, surpassing those for tumors and cardiovascular diseases. By 2020, fees for the treatment of mental illness may also account for more than 25 percent of total medical fees, experts have predicted.