Quality of life should outweigh schoolwork

A lot of people wonder why so many children feel anxious and depressed, despite good family situations, a wealth of educational resources and the care of their parents and teachers.

Until I met with my interviewees for this story and discussed the problem with them, the same question had occurred to me.

I understand that hardworking parents want their children to have promising, bright futures and perform well in all aspects of life, but it seems that most of the time parents cannot give their children proper guidance based on actual situations.

Many minors are their family's only child, so they lack interaction with siblings and the outside world. When they encounter problems in the real world, they tend to become overwhelmed and unable to deal with them.

The symptoms of childhood depression are rarely obvious, meaning parents often fail to notice them early, which results in low diagnosis rates.

Usually, by the time the gravity of the situation has been realized, the child has entered a more serious state.

Many parents have absolutely no idea how to treat their child's mental problems. They seem more inclined to believe that the child is undergoing a phase of adolescent rebellion rather than a mental health issue.

After researching this story, my understanding is that depression per se is not the thing that hurts those with such problems－instead, the damaging thing is the perception of the problem. Society's limited understanding of the condition may actually hinder the patient's recovery.

One interviewee said that letting people know that there is a mentally ill person in your family often results in ridicule and misunderstanding rather than friendly empathy, especially in smaller communities.

An article published by the Lancet-World Psychiatric Association Commission on Feb 15 found that too few people in communities, governments and the health sector globally understand and acknowledge depression as being distinct from other troubles people face.

The authors called for greater attention to be paid to people with depression and said all mental or psychological disorders require early identification, detection and treatment.

In addition to the efforts of all sectors of society, it is important for parents to actively respond to their child's emotional appeals, it said.

In spite of fierce competition in all walks of life, I still think that giving children a healthy and happy growth environment will play a more important role in producing a bright future than examination results.