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'Depression' is the catchword among college students
By Wang Zhenghua (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-02-08 09:25
Last month, a postgraduate student surnamed Yang of Beijing Jiaotong
University took his life at his dorm.
A month earlier, Wang Xiao, a sophomore of Beijing-based Renmin University of
China, killed himself by jumping from a six-storey building.
And it was not because of typical problems encountered by college students
such as finding a job or enduring the pain of a love affair that led to the
tragedies.
According to Wang Jianzhong, a member of a committee specializing in the
mental issues of college students, many college students are tortured by various
degrees of psychological problems, and suicide is the ultimate way they sought
to resolve their conflicts and issues.
Mental status
A report on the mental status of college students released last year said
that around 16.5 per cent of 500,000 college students in Beijing have tendencies
towards mental illnesses.
In the United States, around 37 per cent of college students have
contemplated suicide at least once, according to a report.
Students receiving a higher degree of education in China numbered 16 million
by the end of 2002 across the country.
The mental well-being of this special group not only has a great deal to do
with the preservation of the country's intellectuals, but also concerns the
security and development of society since they constitute elite elements of it.
But what on earth is wrong with them?
Depression kills
Depression, a word that should normally not apply to these spirited youths,
has weirdly become the most popular pet-phrase among Chinese students.
During the critical period from April to June last year when the country was
in the midst of the SARS epidemic, many college students in Beijing fled to
their hometowns by air or train, running the risk of spreading the virus to
other areas. Their irresponsible behaviour was strongly denounced on the
Internet.
Other awkward cases include: Some grown students are accompanied by their
parents when they leave their hometowns to pursue studies, since they cannot
take care of themselves properly; some fearful girls dare not to go out of
campus just because of rumours that some AIDS patients were assaulting
pedestrians in the street.
All of these have attracted the attention of education and mental-health
professionals.
According to Zhao Ying, a teacher and psychological consultant at Renmin
University of China, one of the most common problems faced by her students is
that they cannot handle interpersonal relationships well.
"Many of them find it difficult to live harmoniously under one roof with
roommates, since many of them are the only child in their families and have been
spoiled by their elders," says Zhao.
Li Shun, a senior student of a Beijing-based university, moved to live off
campus when he was in grade two. He said he felt extremely suffocated in the
dorm since his roommates had been trying to "push him out" and never opened
their hearts to him.
However, his roommates argue that they hate leaden conformity because they
are equals and Li always attempted to be a leader in the dorm and seek the
limelight.
Another issue that is frequently raised by students is love affairs,
according to Zhao.
Key issue
"Love is a key issue among young people," says Zhang Houcan, a member of the
Chinese Psychological Society, who is also a professor at Beijing Normal
University.
She says most college students have turned into adults and their first love
and marriage are probably accomplished before they are 29 years old, when many
of them are still receiving graduate education at school.
"But current youths are imperceptibly being influenced by what they
constantly see in society, especially on TV," says Zhang, adding that current
students are more sensitive and open-minded towards romance than their
predecessors.
And compounding these pressures is the grave employment situation facing
current graduates and the general lack of a substantial goal when they pursue
studies, says Zhao. In the early 1980s, college students were truly "god's
favourites," she recalls.
According to Yan Xiuling, a 1984 graduate of a Fujian-based university, only
four out of 100 candidates had the opportunity to study in a college or
university.
They did not worry about their future after graduation since jobs would be
allocated; and a large number of them have become the backbone of all walks of
life.
On the contrary, students now face the reality that many universities are
enlarging enrollment and it is more difficult to find employment after
graduation.
According to a Shanghai-based education science institute, the number of
college students has soared from 6.4 million in 1998 to 12.1 million in 2001.
Zhang Xiaotian, a 2002 graduate of University of Science and Technology of
Suzhou, says her father, a rural worker, is quite upset that she has not yet
found a job after he endured so much hardship to put her through college.
According to Nie Zhenwei, a member of the committee specializing in the
mental issues of college students, as many as 70 per cent of the 70-odd
Beijing-based colleges and universities have established psychological
consulting centres on campus, which are expected to provide students with access
to psychological professionals to discuss their conflicts and issues.
However, as only several of those are performing their function regularly and
properly, many students in other colleges are still denied the help of
professionals, notes Nie.
Some, such as Renmin University of China, have also set up selected courses
to impart the basics of psychology ABC and sex education.
For instance, Hu Deng, a professor at the university, who teaches a course
"the sentiment and psychology of college students," had to double the original
enrollment because of strong demand from students.
But some experts point out that the classes can only teach some basic
knowledge about psychology and deep-rooted mental problems of students still
remain unresolved.
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