Shanghai (AFP)
This is the backlash to the fast paced life of modern China: anxiety, depression and other mental disorders have surged, but few victims dare to speak out because of their stigma by society.
For years, the Shanghainese artist Cracks has hidden his bipolarity, a pathology in which the patient alternates between periods of extreme happiness and deep sadness.
Only his closest friends and family knew about it.
"People think that we are crazy, that we cannot integrate into society or that we spend our life in a psychiatric hospital," the 24-year-old told AFP. not reveal his real name.
The employment contract of his previous job explicitly mentioned that any mental disorder could lead to dismissal.
So she hid her mood swings and suicidal thoughts.
Her pseudonym Cracks ("crack" in English) comes from her works, which she perceives as openings that can "let in the light" in her life marked by several "painful" depressions.
About 173 million Chinese suffer from mental disorders, according to a 2019 study published in the scientific journal The Lancet.
The vast majority of them do not follow any treatment.
- Weakness -
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 54 million Chinese have depression and 41 million pathological anxiety.
The Chinese government expressed concern last year, pledging to improve general public awareness and access to treatment.
Chen Mengyuan, curator of an exhibition devoted to the theme of mental health, August 10, 2021 in Shanghai Hector RETAMAL AFP
But there is still a long way to go.
The culture of work is strong in China and mental disorders are often seen as a sign of weakness, underlines Chen Mengyuan, curator in Shanghai of an exhibition devoted to this theme, which brings together the works of Cracks and about 80 other artists. .
Psychotherapies are still in their infancy in the country.
Patients themselves are sometimes skeptical of their effectiveness and are reluctant to seek treatment for fear of being stigmatized, says Luo Gaoyu, a therapist from Shanghai.
Young Chinese today, however, have less prejudice against mental disorders, notes the 25-year-old specialist.
But China faces a shortage of professionals.
"There are few teachers for a large number of potential students. This is a fundamental problem," Ms. Luo stresses.
Luo Gaoyu's therapy during an interview with AFP, August 19, 2021 in Shanghai Hector RETAMAL AFP
Mental health must become a priority in public health, otherwise the people concerned "will continue to suffer" and "will be unable to live and work properly," a psychiatrist told AFP on condition of anonymity.
- "Not brilliant" -
The problem is not simple in a China where urbanization and the fast pace of life are synonymous with pressure on jobs and incomes.
Young people are particularly vulnerable, as they are often pressured by their parents to get married, buy housing and have children as soon as possible, which can generate additional anxiety.
"Young people in China are different from those abroad" and often put their mental disorders under the rug to avoid parental criticism, underlines the therapist Luo Gaoyu.
If they tell their parents about it, "it's like admitting that they are not bright, if not sane," notes Chen Mengyuan, curator of the exhibition in Shanghai.
"This silence is even less conducive to healing."
Many elderly or rural Chinese also have a suspicious look at psychologists.
A man hangs a work by a Chinese artist during an exhibition on the theme of mental health, August 19, 2021 in Shanghai Hector RETAMAL AFP
Luo Gaoyu says that his own father does not really support his work as a therapist and often advises him ... to apply for a civil servant job, considered more stable.
Another artist in the Shanghai exhibition, Chen Qi, creates paintings that reflect his struggle with anxiety.
His mother regularly criticizes him for "having imprisoned himself" in an imaginary cage that he himself made.
"But we have to talk about these mental disorders," said Chen Qi.
"Otherwise, a whole part of the population will remain invisible."
© 2021 AFP