Two bottles of Prozac are seen on a pharmacy shelf on Jan. 4, 2005 in New York City. (Photo : Getty Images)
With the numbers rising, China's putting in double efforts in helping patients who are diagnosed with clinical depression. But it still has a long way to go as other areas lack trained mental health professionals and the challenge of making ordinary people understand the condition of their family members.
"It is a feeling of endless loss and perplexity. You feel absolutely uncertain about your life, your family, your relationships with others and your future," said Mo Qing, a Zunyi-based university teacher, who was diagnosed with clinical depression about a decade ago.
"You cannot make choices because you believe that whatever decisions you make will result in things getting worse. You feel exhausted, absent-minded, in a melancholy state. You don't know what to do and frequently forget things."
It is estimated that around 30 million Chinese citizens are diagnosed with clinical depression, with two-thirds of them adult women. But medical experts say that the actual number is much higher because of the low rate of diagnosis.
"Because of the more intense pressure of life in an era of accelerated economic and social transformation, the number of people in China with mental health issues keeps rising year after year, resulting in obvious social problems," said the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
While many patients receive psychological counseling, medication is also necessary for those with serious cases of depression.
According to a study, it is estimated that the global depression drug market will continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 2.50 percent between 2015 and 2020. The revenues were up to $14.51 billion in 2014 and is expected to generate $16.8 billion by the end of 2020.
Aside from the lack of diagnosis and treatment, China's battle with clinical depression has many obstacles. Especially for rural areas, people do not have proper support services when they are sent back to their communities or homes to recover.
The lack of a strong support system for patients is also a big problem. Because like in other parts of the world, people in China are still beginning to understand mental health issues and the proper ways to address them.
China may still have a long way to go in its battle against mental health problems, just like anywhere else in the world. By doing its part in helping their patients, the country is making a contribution in a global campaign to address mental health issues that aims to understand and help those who are diagnosed with it.
