COCO LEE, a Hong Kong-born pop star best known for her powerful voice and live performances, died by suicide at the age of 48 last Wednesday. The shocking news of her untimely demise has once again sparked concern over depression.

The famous singer who started her career about three decades ago was battling depression for years, according to a statement posted by her sister on social media.

“Most people hold a stereotypical view of depression, assuming that only those who appear gloomy and disinterested in life are affected. However, it is important to understand that people who maintain a cheerful demeanor and are carrying on with their daily life normally can also be experiencing depression,” said Xu Tao, a senior doctor at the Hebei provincial mental health center.

He said people suffering from depression might not even recognize their own condition or may choose to conceal their melancholic side, presenting a carefree facade to others. “This characteristic of the disease makes it hard to detect, often leaving the patient alone without help.”

According to the National Health Commission (NHC), the prevalence rate of depression in China was 2.1% in 2019, and that of anxiety disorders stood at 4.98%.

Xu attributed the rise in mental health cases partially to the rapid development of modern society, wherein individuals face heightened pressure and an overwhelming influx of information. “This has resulted in issues such as high blood pressure, heart problems, compromised immunity, and disrupted gastrointestinal digestion. At the same time, patients may experience insomnia, anxiety, and headaches,” he said.

Furthermore, due to a lack of public understanding, the illness often goes unnoticed. “The patients themselves may perceive it as a source of embarrassment, while their acquaintances dismiss it as mere sentimentality,” he added.

Zhou Xuhui, director of the mental health department at the Hunan brain hospital, noted that there’s a concerning trend of increasing depression cases among younger people. “Their condition cannot improve without an outlet for the negative emotions and access to standardized psychological diagnosis and treatment,” he said.

Many nongovernment organizations are actively working to support people like Xiao.

Ni Wenping works with one such organization named the “Hope Line,” a hotline set up to help people in distress. She said they have a total of 435 volunteers and receive an average of 300 phone calls every day.

“Some of these calls are from students who are experiencing difficulties in concentrating in regular schooling, while some are from relatives of the patients seeking help,” she said, adding that the helpline adopts a compassionate approach and volunteers try to listen patiently to the callers.

Ni noted that prompt intervention is important because those seeking help are mostly patients with relatively mild symptoms. “People with severe symptoms often struggle to seek help on their own,” she said. “We are trying to help them in preventing the disease from getting worse.”

China’s Ministry of Education and 16 other authorities jointly issued an action plan in May on enhancing mental health education at schools, colleges and universities. According to the plan, by 2025, 95% of schools, colleges and universities in the country are expected to have full-time or part-time mental health counselors. (Xinhua)