According to the World Health Organization, there are 3.4 billion people suffering from depression worldwide, and depression is now the fifth leading disease in the world, and by 2020, it may become the second leading disease after heart disease. It is predicted that depression will become the epidemic of the 21st century. More than 26 million people in China are currently suffering from depression, but less than 10% of them are receiving medication for it. So what is depression? When it comes to depression, it is not easy to explain in one sentence that living is a joy, but those who are depressed feel that life is not so much fun, that living is “suffering”. A college student who had suffered from depression described how he felt when he was ill: It’s hard to describe the feeling of depression unless you’ve experienced it yourself. It’s like you’re in a dark, deserted cave, and you can even feel the darkness pressing down on you. You can see the cave entrance not far away, and beyond it is the world outside. There is sometimes sunshine, sometimes dark clouds, sometimes rain and wind, but in the end, full of popularity. But the world no longer matters, because it no longer has any meaning, any relevance to you. You are so deep in your own pain, fear, and anxiety, you can’t reach the outside world ……. One medical doctor had a very painful kidney colic, a heart attack and depression. Talking about the three different diseases he had, he said, if I could choose, I would rather not suffer from depression in the first place. Simply put, depression is a common mental illness that is a serious threat to human physical and mental health and is often episodic in nature. It is characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest, slowed thinking, reduced volitional behavior, and in severe cases, suicidal ideation and behavior, as well as hallucinations and delusions in some depressed patients. The core symptoms of a depressive episode are: a depressed state of mind that exists for most of the life, almost every day, largely independent of the environment, for at least two weeks; a loss of interest and pleasure in activities of usual interest; and low energy or excessive fatigue. In the so-called “sub-health” population, some people have symptoms similar to those of depression. In clinical work, we found that many “white-collar” people’s “sub-health” is the manifestation of depression. A male, 38 years old, manager of a company in Guangzhou. Usually cheerful, young and confident, love to talk, love to move, love to sing, energetic. In the past year, he gradually developed headache, insomnia and poor mood, probably due to work pressure. He feels headache, dizziness and weakness almost every day, yesterday he had back pain, today he has leg pain, tomorrow he can’t tell which piece of pain. He is often lacking in energy, unable to concentrate on his work, talking less, and interacting less with others. Suffering from memory loss, the mind is empty. The eyes often stare at each other, and the face looks blank. Poor appetite, distension in the upper abdomen after eating, and chronic constipation. Difficulty sleeping at night and nightmares. He wakes up at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning and looks at the roof with his eyes open, not knowing how to get through the day. Significant weight loss. He has thought of suicide many times. In the past year, he has been to many comprehensive tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou and had almost all examinations including MRI, all of which were normal, and was diagnosed with “neurasthenia”, “cerebral debilitation syndrome”, “occupational depletion He has been diagnosed with “neurasthenia”, “cerebral weakness syndrome”, “occupational exhaustion”, “sub-health state”, and even “headache investigation”. He has taken a variety of Chinese and Western medicines, including brain tonic drugs, which can be packed in small baskets, and also had acupuncture and physiotherapy, and spent nearly 10,000 yuan on medicine alone, with no effect. Finally, he came to our hospital and was diagnosed with depression. After two months of antidepressant treatment, all the symptoms mentioned above disappeared one by one, and the mood quickly revived, like a new person. Depression is not a personality defect, neither is it a “thought problem”, nor is it a sign of a weak personality. Depression is a psychiatric disorder with biological causes. Due to the lack of public awareness of depression and the prejudice caused by the traditional concept of Chinese people, many depressed patients go to general hospitals instead of specialty hospitals for the first time to treat mental illnesses. Less than 20% of depression cases are identified in general hospitals at the municipal level and above nationwide. This is a misunderstanding of psychiatric hospitals and the work of psychiatrists in general, as people think that psychiatric patients are “crazy” and psychiatric hospitals are places where “crazy” people are treated. If you are suffering from depression, you should be able to go to the hospital and seek help from the doctor openly and actively, just like you do with the flu or other diseases. “Don’t think that depression is not a disease and that there is nothing you can do about it, even though it is unbearable. Generally speaking, depression patients are treated with antidepressants at the right time and with the cooperation of the doctor, and insist on taking the medication, the effect is sure. At the same time, psychological treatment, physical exercise, etc. should also be carried out. The treatment of depression is a highly specialized technique, and it is necessary to seek help from a doctor with a certain level of expertise in order to achieve a better treatment effect. The most obvious negative consequence of depression is suicide if the diagnosis and treatment are not timely or appropriate. According to statistics, 15% of people who suffer from severe depression die by suicide. And 20% of all people with varying degrees of depression have attempted suicide at least once. At least 250,000 people die by suicide each year in China, equivalent to the population of a small county, of which at least 70% are due to depression. In addition, with the extension of time, depression may become a long-term chronic disease, but also may bring more physical diseases, such as heart disease, osteoporosis and so on. According to research, depressed people are 23 times more likely to get coronary heart disease than normal people. In short, depression is a very serious mental illness, but it should not be a reason for stigma. Depression is simply a state within the body that creates a perceptible pattern of illness that lasts for some time and for which there is experience of effective treatment. The important thing is that the depressed person should actively seek the treatment they need, regardless of external gossip or shame. With proper treatment, almost all depressed people can get better. Without treatment, the costs of depression, such as pain, suffering, helplessness and suicide, will be high and high.