China’s fast-paced lifestyle exacts a toll on residents’ mental health
Medical experts advise people to seek professional help early
Are you persistently feeling down after losing your job or having difficulty sleeping because of bumps in your relationship? You’re not alone as a national survey in China has found the nation’s fast pace of work and life has caused a rising number of people to suffer from mood disorders.
The national survey on the country’s mental illness burden, conducted from 2012 to 2014, found the prevalence rate of mood disorders, represented by several syndromes including depression, rise to 4.06 per cent of the population, higher than a similar survey in limited geographic areas in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Wang Bin, deputy director of the disease prevention and control bureau of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
The rate was given at a briefing on Friday to mark World Health Day and the survey covered 31 provinces and municipalities. There was no figure given for the number of people polled.
Other types of mood disorder include bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, in which sufferers swing between being “up” and full of energy and being deeply depressed; substance-induced disorders from misusing drugs or alcohol; or depression caused by an existing medical condition.
“The fast development of the economy and society has speeded up the pace of our life and work and caused more stress among the public, which subsequently increases the risk of getting mood disorders,” Wang said.