抑鬱症:當今社會的隱痛,壓力山大

Before she tried to kill herself by jumping from her dormitory building a year ago, no one knew Xing Hua (name changed for privacy), a 22-year-old economics postgraduate from Wuhan, was suffering from depression. She narrowly escaped death, but suffered severe internal injuries and multiple broken bones.

一年前，星華（爲保護隱私，此處使用化名）試圖從宿舍樓一躍而下來結束自己的生命，在那之前並沒有人知道這位來自武漢的22歲的經濟學研究生一直飽受抑鬱症的折磨。雖然她逃過了一劫，但仍遭受嚴重內傷以及多處骨折。

“I was in great pain,” said Xing. “Only depression victims could understand the despair – a desperation so great that life itself seems not to matter any more.”

“我非常痛苦，”星華說道，“只有抑鬱症患者才能理解那份絕望。心如死灰，以致於活着與否無所謂。”

This year, the World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 was marked by the theme: “Depression: A Global Crisis”. According to the World Federation for Mental Health and the WHO, depression has moved beyond the Medical domain to become a social problem.

今年10月10日的心理衛生日主題爲：“抑鬱症：一個全球性危機”。世界精神衛生聯盟以及世界衛生組織表示，抑鬱症已經超越醫療領域，成爲社會問題。

Statistics from the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center show that of the 287,000 people who commit suicide in China every year, 70 percent are victims of depression.

北京心理危機研究與干預中心提供的相關數據顯示，每年中國有28.7萬名自殺者，其中70%是抑鬱症患者。

“This equates to one depression victim taking their life every three minutes,” cited CCTV recently.

“這相當於每三分鐘就有一名抑鬱症患者自殺。”中央電視臺近日報道稱。

According to the Beijing-based Capital Medical University, the number of depression patients has been on the rise in the past years and now accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the population, more than the global average of 5 percent.

北京首都醫科大學方面表示，過去的幾年中，中國抑鬱症患者人數呈逐年增長趨勢，現已佔到人口總數的5%-10%，這一數字已經超過世界平均值——5%。

Wang Shaoli, vice-president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, a medical center specializing in mental health, said that what makes depression so widespread is that everybody can get it.

北京回龍觀醫院是精神疾病專科醫院。該院副院長王紹禮表示，抑鬱症之所以傳播如此廣泛，是因爲每個人都可能患病。

“No one is immune to depression,” said Wang. “It has become a social problem because depression kills one’s social capabilities, such as communication, and leads to a negative social mentality.”

“抑鬱症對任何人來說都防不勝防，”王紹禮說道，“抑鬱症能夠扼殺一個人的社交能力，比如溝通交流能力，從而導致消極社會心態的產生，因此抑鬱症已經成爲一種社會問題。”

According to Wang, depression can be treated with medicine and early psychological consultation. The real problem is the lack of awareness surrounding the issue.

王紹禮表示，抑鬱症可以通過藥物以及早期心理諮詢來進行治療。真正問題在於，人們缺乏對這一病症的相關意識。

“People with mental health illnesses are discriminated against,” said Wang. “So they are reluctant to go to hospital and often keep the pain to themselves, which only makes matters worse.”

“精神疾病患者往往遭受歧視，”王紹禮說，“所以，他們不願意去醫院就醫，往往獨自承受痛苦，而這隻會令病情加重。”

Only one in 10 depression victims are properly treated in China, according to the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.

北京心理危機研究與干預中心稱，中國僅有十分之一的抑鬱症患者在接受有效治療。

Social cost

社會代價

While depression brings great tragedy to individuals and their families, the social cost are considerable too.

抑鬱症在爲患者本人及其家庭釀造悲劇的同時，社會代價也非常高。

According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2008, depression is one of the most costly mental disorders because of the large number of persons affected and the significant impact it has on the labor force.

經濟合作與發展組織在2008年的一份報告指出，抑鬱症是代價最高的精神疾病之一，因爲患者人數衆多，嚴重影響勞動力。

“The associated cost of depression is more than 118 billion euros (958 billion yuan) in the European Union,” read the report. “Equivalent to 1 percent of regional GDP.”

該報告稱：“在歐盟，抑鬱症產生的相關費用超過1180億歐元（合9580億元人民幣）。這相當於整個歐盟地區生產總值的1%。”

Wang Gang, director of the Depression Treatment Center at the Beijing-based Anding Hospital, said that depression is triggered by multiple factors, from genetic heritage to cognitive experience.

北京安定醫院抑鬱症治療中心主任王剛表示，抑鬱症的誘發原因有很多，比如基因遺傳、認知經驗等。

“When people get depressed, it becomes part of their thoughts, making them negative, even desperate,” said Wang. “And embedded ideas are difficult to change.”

王剛說：“當人們患上抑鬱症時，抑鬱情緒會潛入他們的大腦，令他們變得消極，甚至絕望。這種嵌入式思維很難改變。”

That’s why Wang suggests early intervention.

這正是王剛建議對抑鬱症採取早期干預的原因。

“Normally it takes about nine months to treat depression,” said Wang. “But in most cases, patients drop treatment half way when they feel some progress.”

王剛說：“一般來說，抑鬱症需要九個月的治療期。但很多時候，病人感到病情有好轉，就會半途中止治療。”

After a year of treatment, Xing is getting better. Although she is sometimes easily distracted from conversation, she is confident.

通過一年的治療，星華的病情正在好轉。雖然談話中她還是會時不時地無法集中精神，但卻十分自信。

“It is a relief that people know I had depression,” said Xing. “The more I talk and interact with people, the less I feel the stress.”

星華說：“人們知道我曾患過抑鬱症，這讓我釋然。我與人們交談互動得越多，感到的壓力也就越少。”