(ECNS) -- Data shows nearly 80 percent of people with major depression in China are not recognized as depressed, with 90 percent not having received appropriate treatment and the number sufferers among the youth on the rise.
Qu Wei, director of the clinical psychology department at Southwest Hospital in Chongqing, said just 21 percent of individuals were diagnosed with depression, much lower than the world rate of 55.65 percent. Among the depressed in China, only 10 percent receive treatment.
A study published in Lancet during 2009 showed the number of depressed in China had by then reached 90 million, according to Qu, who has more than 20 years experience treating the problem.
Zhu Zhuohong, a psychology professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said depression among the younger generation is on the rise, with one key reason being the influence of their parents.
A 13-year-old who suffers from depression said she feels upset whenever she sees her classmates because their parents always talk about competition among students.
Social stigma and poor understanding of depression also affect treatment. Qu said many patients feel shame about being depressed.
She has called on the public to learn more about depression and face up to it, urging parents to show care and support for sufferers of depression to improve the effect of treatment.
According to World Health Organization statistics, there are 340 million depression sufferers. By 2020, it will become the second most common disease in the world.
