October 10 is World Mental Health Day. According to the latest report by the World Trade Organization, depression affects 11 percent of the world’s population, and plagues about 80 percent of those who commit suicide.
Mr. Chen tried to commit suicide in 1994, after a long, fruitless search for medical and clinical treatment. He thought he was “too shy and introverted.”
“When I realized I stopped talking to other people, I blamed it on my introverted personality and missed the chance to seek help from my friends. And it got worse. When I realized that I needed professional treatment and ventured to a mental health center, I was told to obtain permission from my workplace,” Chen said.
“That was a routine procedure back in the 1990s. After my workplace denied my request, I refused to work and went back home. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and drank a bottle of fertilizer.”
Twenty years later, things have changed. Patients can receive timely, proper treatment before situation takes a turn for the worse.
“I went through a dark time myself. But thankfully, I’m aware of depression and sought medical treatment in time. That’s why I joined this NGO—to help others who are experiencing what I’ve been through,” said Liu Geheng, volunteer of Yujinxiang Psychological Consulting Center (NGO).
About 80 percent of the outpatients in Shanghai Mental Health Center suffers from non-severe mental illnesses like major depressive disorder, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Major depressive disorder, or what we call depression, is often said to be “the flu of the mind” because its frequent occurrence. But experts strongly disagree.
“Depression is not like a flu. The body can heal from the flu on its own, most patients recover in a week. But depression is a mental illness that sticks with you if proper treatment is not obtained—that includes both medical treatment and social attention,” said Xu Yifeng, president of Shanghai Mental Health Center.
“Most patients are battling not just the disorder itself, but the stigma and the feeling of interiority. And that is actually a result of social bias and discrimination. Society should allow patients to express their feelings by sharing their story.”
But for Chen, sharing his story with outsiders is still difficult for him.
“I quit my first job in 2000 and joined a new company where no one knew of my history. People tend to question a depressed person’s capacity for work. The medical treatment might be a burden for unemployed patients. Over the years, my wife has suffered a lot with me. It’s too hard for my family,” Chen said.
