2016年CRI Over 90 Million Suffer Depression in China: Report

 

Lin Jiawen, a talented senior high school student, committed suicide on Wednesday. The 18-year-old had published two academic works on history.

Some historians had praised the boy's work, saying it was of better quality than even some Ph.D. candidates produce.

In a wechat message, Lin said he increasingly didn't understand what he's fighting for. According to the message, he had been suffering aching all over his body and constant sleepiness every day.

According to Lin's father, the boy had suffered from depression for more than six months before he jumped to his death.

Wang Gang is deputy director of depression treatment center with Beijing Anding Hospital.

"Suicide is a major symptom of depression. Statistics show that nearly 15 percent of depression patients end up committing suicide. "

Figure from the World Health Organization show that 350 million people around the world suffer from depression. One million people commit suicide every year and more than half of them had been suffering from depression.

A patient under the pseudonym¹ of Ao Xi was diagnosed with depression three years ago and has attempted suicide several times.

She says she fears of telling others of her real condition and constantly thinks about death.

"You don't understand what we are thinking. I will feel better and more relaxed if I die. My colleagues think it's so strange that I am a depression patient. Because I have always appeared to be a cheerful and optimistic person at work. However I feel unhappy when I go back home. I went to the doctor but didn't take the medicine given by the doctors. I feel guilty over my depression, because I think it's all because I have a weak personality. "

According to a report released by the prestigious² medical journal The Lancet in 2009, more than 90 million people in China were suffering from depression, and the number is believed to have increased since then.

It's estimated that only 10 percent of people with depression seek help from doctors. And of those who do get professional help, only 20 percent have received systematic³ treatment.

Experts points out that many people lack awareness⁴ about the condition and choose to shy away from the problem.

Statistics show that 90 percent of patients are suffering a strong sense of shame over their negative feelings and refuse to admit their condition.

Due to a lack of knowledge of depression, people tend to associate the disease to a weak personality.

However, clinical psychologists deny the direct relationship between the two.

Lu Yazhou is director of the depression treatment center with Beijing Anding Hospital.

"Depression doesn't mean that the person is weak or narrow-minded. And it also doesn't mean the person is a failure or will lose face for that. "

Experts say ignorance of the disease among the general public is making the situation worse. Many people tend to attribute the symptoms of depression to a bad mood.

Hu Yongdong is the director of the clinical psychology⁵ center with Chao Yang Hospital in Beijing.

"There are two criteria⁶ to judge the disease. One is the seriousness and another is the course of the disease. If you feel depressed⁷ and even still unhappy when something interesting happened and if the symptom sustained over two weeks, you should think about that maybe you have the tendency to depression and come to doctors immediately. "

Experts note that women are twice as likely to suffer from depression than men, and the likelihood increases during pregnancy⁸ and menopause, or if the woman has had an abortion⁹.

The condition can run in families, and stress can be a trigger or make an existing episode of the disease worse.

Doctors call for the public to strictly¹⁰ distinguish the difference between clinical depression and a depressed mood. And patients with moderate or severe depression need effective medication.

For CRI this is Guo Yan.

1 pseudonym   

n.假名，笔名

参考例句：

• Eric Blair wrote under the pseudonym of George Orwell.埃里克·布莱尔用乔治·奧威尔这个笔名写作。
• Both plays were published under the pseudonym of Philip Dayre.两个剧本都是以菲利普·戴尔的笔名出版的。

2 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

3 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

6 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

7 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

8 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

9 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

10 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。