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（為保護隱私，此處使用化名）試圖從宿舍樓一躍而下來結(jié)束自己的生命，在那之前并沒有人知道這位來自武漢的22歲的經(jīng)濟學(xué)研究生一直飽受抑郁癥的折磨。雖然她逃過了一劫，但仍遭受嚴(yán)重內(nèi)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，“只有抑郁癥患者才能理解那份絕望。心如死灰，以致于活著與否無所謂。”
　　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(wèi)生日主題為：“抑郁癥：一個全球性危機”。世界精神衛(wèi)生聯(lián)盟以及世界衛(wèi)生組織表示，抑郁癥已經(jīng)超越醫(yī)療領(lǐng)域，成為社會問題。
　　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(yù)中心提供的相關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)顯示，每年中國有28.7萬名自殺者，其中70%是抑郁癥患者。
　　“this equates to one depression victim taking their life every three minutes,” cited cctv recently.
　　“這相當(dāng)于每三分鐘就有一名抑郁癥患者自殺。”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(yī)科大學(xué)方面表示，過去的幾年中，中國抑郁癥患者人數(shù)呈逐年增長趨勢，現(xiàn)已占到人口總數(shù)的5%-10%，這一數(shù)字已經(jīng)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(yī)院是精神疾病�？漆t(yī)院。該院副院長王紹禮表示，抑郁癥之所以傳播如此廣泛，是因為每個人都可能患病。
　　“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.”
　　“抑郁癥對任何人來說都防不勝防，”王紹禮說道，“抑郁癥能夠扼殺一個人的社交能力，比如溝通交流能力，從而導(dǎo)致消極社會心態(tài)的產(chǎn)生，因此抑郁癥已經(jīng)成為一種社會問題�！�
　　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，抑郁癥可以通過藥物以及早期心理咨詢來進行治療。真正問題在于，人們?nèi)狈�對這一病癥的相關(guān)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，他們不愿意去醫(yī)院就醫(yī)，往往獨自承受痛苦，而這只會令病情加重�！�
　　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(yù)中心稱，中國僅有十分之一的抑郁癥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.
　　抑郁癥在為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(jīng)濟合作與發(fā)展組織在2008年的一份報告指出，抑郁癥是代價最高的精神疾病之一，因為患者人數(shù)眾多，嚴(yán)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，抑郁癥產(chǎn)生的相關(guān)費用超過1180億歐元（合9580億元人民幣）。這相當(dāng)于整個歐盟地區(qū)生產(chǎn)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(yī)院抑郁癥治療中心主任王剛表示，抑郁癥的誘發(fā)原因有很多，比如基因遺傳、認(rèn)知經(jīng)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(dāng)人們患上抑郁癥時，抑郁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郁癥采取早期干預(yù)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，抑郁癥需要九個月的治療期。但很多時候，病人感到病情有好轉(zhuǎn)，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(zhuǎn)。雖然談話中她還是會時不時地?zé)o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郁癥，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�！�