Behind "Depression Included in Student Physical Examination"
Adolescent patients are on the increase. Early screening helps to intervene early, home and school work together to build a "firewall"
Recently, the official website of the National Health Commission released the "Working Plan for Exploring Special Services for the Prevention and Treatment of Depression."
The plan proposes that in the future, high schools and colleges and universities will incorporate depression screening into the content of student health examinations, establish student mental health files, evaluate students’ mental health, and give special attention to students with abnormal evaluation results.
Immediately, "Depression included in high school and university physical examinations" caused heated discussions in the whole society.
What is the significance and value of this move?
What impact will it have on the school's mental health education?
Recently, the reporter visited Guangzhou local first-line doctors, middle school teachers and some students who are receiving professional treatment for depression.
Interviewed teachers said that this is a policy closely related to schools and students, allowing schools to screen, prevent, and intervene in adolescent depression in advance. At the same time, schools will also strengthen the construction of psychological teachers.
Guangzhou Daily All-Media Reporter Xiao Huanhuan, intern Hong Dou
Female middle school student patient:
Ask yourself "the meaning of living" every day
In Guangzhou Baiyun Psychological Hospital, there are still many middle school students receiving professional psychotherapy here.
14-year-old Mao Na (pseudonym) is a second-year student in a middle school in Guangdong. This is the second time she has come here for treatment.
The reporter saw that her arm was covered with wounds cut through with a knife.
Mao Na said that every time she felt too much psychological pressure or felt that her parents and classmates did not understand herself, she would use a utility knife to make a cut in her arm, and use this physical pain to relieve her psychological stress. pain.
Mao Na is 14 years old and looks like a well-behaved girl.
But she said that since the first day of the last year, she had a serious social phobia and was afraid of talking to others.
"It doesn't matter if I don't talk to my classmates for a semester." Sometimes when get out of class is over, the female classmates in the class go to the bathroom or go to the kiosk together, but Mao Na always sleeps on the table alone.
"I dare not take the initiative to talk to classmates, nor to strangers." Mao Na said.
Mao Na is not interested in doing anything now, and it is accompanied by symptoms such as circadian clock disorder and insomnia.
During the time when she was away from school at home, she was also very depressed every day. She just wanted to lie down and couldn't do anything interesting.
The severe sleep disturbance also afflicted her. She was dizzy during the day, but couldn't sleep at night. She often lay in bed "counting sheep" at 3 am.
"I have been torturing me with my eyes open for many years." Mao Na said. She used to like dancing and playing guitar, and she was also very interested in mobile games, but after suffering from depression, she has no interest in these.
Before school started in August this year, Mao Na and her parents suggested that they wanted to do a psychological examination in the hospital, and the result was diagnosed as severe depression by the hospital.
Mauna said frankly that when she became ill, she felt like she was in a quagmire. Every day she struggled with what it means to be alive and why she should live.
"If my condition can be discovered as soon as possible and I can have a teacher to provide psychological support, the situation may be better. But no one knows the pain in my heart. When my parents and I said that I might be suffering from depression, they didn't believe it. , I think I just can’t think about it. The teachers in the class don’t believe that I have depression, but feel that I am under too much academic pressure. Only I know what kind of torment I experience every day.” Mao Na couldn’t help crying after she finished speaking.
Male high school student patient:
Sick from strong self-blame
In another ward of the hospital, 17-year-old Wang Xiaoyong (pseudonym) has been in the hospital for treatment for two months.
The doctors told reporters that in the first two weeks of his arrival, Wang Xiaoyong basically did not talk to anyone. Now his condition is much better and he is willing to talk to doctors, including strangers.
Wang Xiaoyong is a second-year high school student in a middle school in Guangdong. He usually lives with his mother and his father works outside. He rarely sees his father.
Because of the poor financial conditions at home, Wang Xiaoyong has a low self-esteem among his classmates, and his academic performance is also average. Especially since the first year of high school, he found that he could not keep up with the teacher's lecture.
"I don’t understand some of the content at all, and I’m too embarrassed to ask the teacher after class. Over time, I don’t understand more and more knowledge. My mother's education level is not high, and my family has no money to go to cram school, so my grades gradually dropped. The last 10 in the class." Wang Xiaoyong said with his head drooping.
The poor academic performance made Wang Xiaoyong feel deeply guilty and self-blame.
"I'm sorry for my mother who works outside every day to support my studies." In Wang Xiaoyong's memory, he had been experiencing serious depression since the first semester of high school. He was anxious all day long, didn't want to talk, just wanted to lock himself in the room, even if I don't want to go out on weekends.
When his mother noticed his abnormality, he just responded, "I am a little tired." Wang Xiaoyong said that at the time he did not realize that he was suffering from depression.
"If there was a teacher to help me relieve my psychological pressure, maybe I would not be so painful."
Wang Xiaoyong has been suspended for more than a year, and in the short term, he does not have the conditions to return to campus.
"I think I might not go to university in the future, even though I had dreams like that." In Wang Xiaoyong, the reporter could not see the vigor and vitality of the 17-year-old.
"What do you want to do after getting better?" the reporter asked him.
Wang Xiaoyong hesitated for a long time, without saying a word.
Senior Psychologist:
Parents do not delay their children's treatment time
"Many depression patients can see signs in middle school, but they are ignored by their parents or teachers. Now the inclusion of depression screening in the middle school health examination is a landmark event." Deputy Guangzhou Baiyun Psychological Hospital Chief physician Zhang Zhihua said.
Zhang Zhihua is a senior doctor with 20 years of experience in psychotherapy. He told reporters that the youngest patients with psychological problems he received were only eight or nine years old. Among the cases he received, middle school students aged 13 to 18 accounted for The vast majority.
“Some students’ psychological problems have not yet reached the level of depression, but some students’ psychological problems have reached the level of moderate to severe depression.”
What makes Zhang Zhihua sad is that the symptoms of depression in many students have not attracted enough attention. Parents generally have misunderstandings about depression, thinking that it is just children who "love to be horny" and "cannot think about it."
Zhang Zhihua went to Guangzhou's middle school as an expert more than once to have heart-to-heart talks with teenage children. By that time, the students' psychological problems were already serious.
Zhang Zhihua said that a middle school student climbed to the top of the school and sat for two hours because he did not do well in the exam. He told Zhang Zhihua that he wanted to jump off at the time, but he thought that his family would be very painful after he jumped, and then he didn't jump.
"Like this student, there must have been serious emotional problems before, but the teacher did not pay attention. I often say that if the parents or teachers know more about depression, at least half of the children will be better off."
Zhang Zhihua said that depression is a mental and emotional disease. The pathogenesis includes both psychological factors and organic factors of brain dysfunction, but it is difficult to judge by visual observation.
"Depression is not because you can't think about it, but because the cells in the brain are dysfunctional, and the patient himself can't control it."
The parents’ "incompetence" made Zhang Zhihua most anxious, because it would make the child miss the opportunity for treatment and make the symptoms worse.
Zhang Zhihua said that when children report emotional problems to parents, parents should not feel that it is embarrassing.
Take the initiative to accept, become a supporter of your child, and seek medical attention if necessary, instead of scolding your child.
Zhang Zhihua said that to control the spread of depression, we must start with the mental health of adolescents. This is a responsible attitude for schools, families, and patients. We must build a "firewall" for students from the middle school period.
High school teacher:
No matter how busy I am, I have to talk to the students
Teacher Zhang from a high school in Guangzhou said that due to increased academic pressure and social competition pressure, the number of middle school students with psychological problems is increasing, so many middle schools in Guangzhou have begun to attach importance to the mental health of students.
"Before the school only set up a full-time psychology teacher, now it seems that the school must strengthen the team of psychology teachers."
Teacher Zhang said that middle school students will inevitably have some anxiety symptoms in their lives, but they may not always reach the level of depression, so the key is "early detection and early treatment."
"When I was in school, if a student told me that he was very unhappy today, no matter how busy he was, I must chat with him for an hour that day to help him solve his psychological problems."
Teacher Zhang said that it is very important to include depression in the health checkup of high school students, because high school students are undoubtedly the group facing the most academic pressure, and a failure in an exam may cause students to fall into emotional problems, so prevent trouble Effective way.
Teacher Zhang said that there are a few points to pay attention to when incorporating depression screening into student health examinations.
First of all, we must pay attention to protecting the privacy of students. Early intervention is for early treatment, not to label students who are ill. Second, for students facing psychological problems, we must give guidance and help instead of dismissal or discrimination. .