Dealing with depression-----BEIJING WEEKEND 16-MAY26-28 2000

Dealing with depression

BEIJING WEEKEND 16-MAY26-28 2000

Dealing with depression

　About 340 million people in the world suffer from depression, according to a report issued by the World Health Organization. The suicide rate of depression sufferers is 35 times higher

Sad cycle

　December 15, 1999

　A doctorate student at Beijing University committed suicide by jumping off a building. Before that, the troubled student killed one of his classmates with a dumbbell.

　The murderer had long been suffering from a nervous condition, and had been becoming weaker and behaving strangely, according to his classmates.

　The student was apparently jealous of his classmate, and that envy turned into hate, and eventually led to the tragedy.

　March 30,2000

　Miss Liu, a 47-year-old teacher at the Capital Normal University， killed herself by jumping out of the corridor window on the 10th floor of the dormitory.

　Most of the people who knew her couldn't understand her death but were not interested in finding out the reason. Some said that Liu was acting abnormally before her death. Others even said committing suicide was quite common at universities.

Alarming situation

　Every year, nearly 200,000 people in China commit suicide. The total number in the world is about 10 to 20 million people, 45 to 70 per cent of whom were suffering from depression.

　"Committing suicide is the most severe symptom of depression," said Kang Chengjun, director of the mental ward at the hospital of Beijing University. "About 60 to 80 per cent of depression sufferers may think of committing suicide, while 10 to 15 per cent actually kill themselves."

　And the suicide rate among Chinese university students has increased to 15 per 100,000. A survey by the Beijing Mental Health Research Centre showed that most of university drop-outs do so because of depression.

　Although the situation is grave, hope still exists

Survivor

　Li Ningzhong, now a postgraduate at Beijing University, used to be tormented by depression for more than two years. He began to fall into depression as a sophomore when he lost his girlfriend.

　."In those days I lost my appetite, was unable to sleep, became indifferent to the outside world and couldn't concentrate on anything," Li recalled

　Things hit rock bottom for him in 1999. Li began to thinking about committing suicide. "To save myself, I begged my roommates not to leave me alone for even a single moment," the young man said. "I knew that I was bound to jump out of my room window."

　On December 17, 1999, Li turned to Kang Chengjun for help. He then was hospitalized to receive Kang's psychological treatment, supplemented with medicine.

　After two weeks of treatment, when he woke up in a morning and felt the warm, bright sunlight and heard birds singing outside, he knew things were changing

　"I discovered, for the first time, that life is so beautiful," he said.

　Now, after four more months' treatment, Li says he is completely recovered.

Helpful hand

　Kang has helped cure some 100 people who had attempted suicide due to severe depression since he came to the hospital in 1997.

　"No one is immune from depression," said Kang, who started his research on depression in the early 1980s. His patients come from all walks of life and include professors, students and soldiers.

　Although it's possible for everyone to be depressed at some point in their lives, perfectionists, people who are self-abased or pathologically persistent are more susceptible to depression, according to Tang Denghua, professor at the mental health research institute of the Beijing University of Medical Science.

　Kang explained that such people are more likely to encounter problems differentiating between what is real and what is ideal. They usually find it more difficult to accept the differences than other people.

　Li said to himself in his diary: "You always exaggerate your weak points, which is in fact your biggest weak point. In others' eyes, you're a young man with a bright future. But you're unwilling to accept it because you keep comparing the Li Ningzhong in reality with the one you wish to be."

　In reality, Li is among the few top students who is allowed to go into postgraduate study at Beijing University without taking an entrance exam. But in his mind, he should be studying abroad. His ex-girlfriend has found a new boyfriend. But he stubbornly thinks that she should still love him. In reality, Li's parents are working hard to make a living in the hometown, a small county. But he wishes he had the power to take them to Beijing and give them a better life.

　Then, it's quite natural that the young man felt more and more depressed and desperate about life with so many frustrations caused by conflicts between reality and ideal, Kang said

　"Depression is not a terrible disease at all. It's just as common as the flu, and is easy to be cured," Kang said. He added that sharp competition and too much pressure are unavoidable. The key is to change your attitude towards challenges.

　"A mature person understands how to make necessary adjustments and how to keep a balance between work and relaxation."

Sunlight project

　The damage caused by depression to people's health are, to some extent, because of the public's ignorance about the disease.

　During Li's two years of depression, his friends and relatives encouraged him to beat the weakness and desperation using his own willpower. No one had ever suggested that he go to a doctor.

　That was exactly what happened to Liu Jie, one of Li's wardmates. She never recognized that she had some mental problems even after her suicide attempt in last May.

　Besides being short of knowledge, many Chinese people think that it's shameful to let others know about their psychological problems. "They keep it as a secret and prefer to endure it on their own," Kang said. "But in fact, this will only worsen the situation."

　Inspired by their own experiences, Li and a group of recovered wardmates has launched the "Sunlight Project" on the Internet (www.inworld.com.cn/sun), with support from Kang and other psychological experts. Basic knowledge about depression, self-treatment steps, online consultations and advice are available at the website. The project also include a series of lectures on depression given by a number of scholars and professors to university students in Beijing.

　"Now, we are mainly addressing depression at universities. We plan to offer special items for children, women and the elderly with similar problems," Li said. "We hope to do something for people who are suffering from depression, and help prevent future tragedies."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　by Deng Nanjun

.