She was in low spirits for one full week just because her dormitory mates didn't invite her to meet a common friend. The reason may seem too trivial to others, but the second-year clinical medicine major was trying to overcome her depression when she got the "shock". So she retracted further into her shell.

 

"I felt neglected. I was distracted and restless during the day throughout that week and couldn't sleep at night," says Yu Xiao (name changed).

 

Yu looks like any other 22-year-old college student but she is one of the many who suffer from depression. In fact, Beijing Youth Daily reported last year that 24 percent, or about 100,000, of the capital's college students suffered from some sort of depression. And the worst part is that many of them don't even know it.

 

"It's hard to collect data on such students because many of them don't seek proper help despite showing the symptoms. A large number of them don't even know that depression is a medical condition that needs proper treatment," says Han Lixia, a therapist at Beijing's Sun HR Psychology Service Center.

 

 

College students in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region talk to psychiatrist Professor Xu Xirong at a recent seminar hosted by him on psychological problems among college stduents.

 

Yu, however, is not one of the ignorant ones. For five long years she kept thinking that life was just a half-empty glass before she realized her mental condition and sought medical help. "I was irritable and used to get upset or excited for no obvious reason," she says. "Then, last year, these feelings got worse. I couldn't sleep and often had attacks of palpitation."

 

One day last September, she realized that she might be suffering from depression. So she visited a local mental health clinic, where she was diagnosed as a case of "moderate depression". The doctor prescribed some anti-depressants and drugs to overcome insomnia.

 

To make doubly sure that her diagnosis was correct, she also sought help from a counselor in her school's clinic. "Getting the help of a doctor and counselor was a big step for me."

 

Yu used to struggle communicating with her classmates and friends because she was afraid of saying something wrong and becoming the butt of their jokes. "Even today, only my closest friends and roommates know about my illness. I don't discuss it with everyone," she says

 

Beijing Suicide Prevention and Research Center psychiatrist Zhang Yanping says Yu's initial reluctance to seek professional help is unfortunate, but it is quite a common phenomenon.

 

"Our society doesn't accept many kinds of psychological problems. In fact, some people discriminate against those with psychological problems. Many of my patients have asked me not to write 'depression' on their prescriptions because they were afraid that people would treat them differently one they saw they had been diagnosed with the 'dreaded' disease."

 

But Yu had her reasons for not seeking medical help earlier. She comes from the countryside near Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. And both her parents are farmers, who wouldn't even understand the meaning of the word "depression". How could they possibly know what the condition their daughter had struggled with for so long was?

 

As the eldest child, Yu carried all the hopes of her family. So beginning in junior high school, she felt the pressure of having to excel in exams. That pressure turned to shame when she failed to get into one of the top senior high schools and pass the college entrance exam.

 

But Yu has proved to be a fighter, and she has come a long way since the early stages of her depression six years ago. "After just two months of treatment, I felt much better," she says.

 

Though she is off the drugs her doctor had prescribed her, she continues with the therapy once or twice a week at school. She exercises regularly now and tries to have as much communication as possible with her friends and roommates. "I know the years of negative emotions have influenced my personality. But I have hope in the future. That's the most important thing."

 

Not all students suffering from depression are like Yu. Many refuse to see a psychiatrist even after suspecting their condition. What they don't know, or don't want to know, is that depression is a condition that can be cured -- and the sooner it is treated the better the results will be.

 

(China Daily June 4, 2007)