China News Service, Beijing, October 10 (Reporter Shao Meng) "Adolescent depression often manifests itself in the form of irritability, boredom, and refusal to study, and is often mistaken for 'rebellion' or 'hypocrisy.' Without timely intervention, these problems will extend to college and the workplace, manifesting as adaptation difficulties, interpersonal conflicts, and low work efficiency, making adolescence a key window for intervention." Zheng Yi, chief expert of child psychiatry at Beijing Anding Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, said in Beijing on the 9th.
In recent years, the incidence of depression has become younger. The "China National Mental Health Development Report (2021-2022)" shows that the detection rate of depression risk in the 18 to 24 age group reaches 24.1%, ranking first among all age groups among adults. This stage is a critical transition period for individuals to leave school and enter the workplace. At the same time, psychological distress caused by factors such as occupational pressure, identity changes, and interpersonal adaptation are also becoming real problems that affect young people’s career development and quality of life.
Professor Liu Huaqing from the Clinical Psychology Department of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital pointed out that memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty making decisions are cognitive symptoms that are often hidden deep and difficult to detect, but may appear before emotional symptoms, quietly eroding the academic and workplace functions of patients with depression, and becoming "invisible shortcomings" on the road to recovery.
It is important for people with depression to learn to recognize and proactively express their distress. Wang Chunxue, director of the Neuropsychiatry and Sleep Medicine Center of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, suggested that patients can use everyday language such as "I can't remember things" and "I can't concentrate" to describe their cognitive symptoms, and use scientific cognitive self-assessment tools to improve medical efficiency.
"Growth is not broken, nor should protection." Professor Liang Hong from the Department of Clinical Psychology at Beijing Huilongguan Hospital analyzed the similarities and differences between teenagers and working adults in terms of self-identity, peer relationships, and family and workplace support systems from a psychosocial perspective. She suggested that businesses and society provide a more inclusive environment and reduce stigma.
October 10th is the 35th World Mental Health Day. On the 9th, the 2026 World Mental Health Day Green Ribbon Series - "Guarding from 'Youth', Going to the 'Heart': From Youth to the Workplace, Protecting Mental Health's Growth Path" was held in Beijing. The event was hosted by the Community for Surviving Depression and supported by Lundbeck China Charity. It focused on the long-neglected "psychological transition period" between school and the workplace, called for attention to cognitive symptoms, broke the barriers between "youth mental health" and "workplace mental health", and established an integrated mental health support system that does not break from teenagers to the workplace.
Experts attending the meeting believed that standardized assessment and active intervention of cognitive symptoms should be strengthened in screening and diagnosis and treatment, and at the same time, schools, medical institutions, employers and social organizations should be promoted to work together to establish a psychological connection mechanism covering the entire "campus-workplace" cycle to help young patients successfully complete the transition from school to career.
