S OCIETY
T
here’s an old joke. A man goes to the doctor. “I’m so de-
pressed,’ he says. “Life seems pointless. I can’t go on.” “Lis-
ten, my friend,” says the doctor, “Tonight the great clown
Grimaldi is performing. You’ve never seen anything as funny. You go
to that show tonight, and you’ll laugh more than you’ve ever laughed
before.”
The man bursts into tears. “But doctor,” he says, “I am Grimaldi!”
It’s a tale that might seem familiar to Xue Zhiqian, or Joker Xue, a
popular Chinese celebrity who sings, acts and hosts TV programmes.
He’s famous for his sparkling sense of humour in front of the camera.
But Xue recently spoke in public of suffering from chronic depres-
sion, with which he was recently diagnosed. And he’s not alone. There
are other comedians or TV hosts in China who’ve covered their inner
suffering with a happy mask, such as Cui Yongyuan and Wang Zijian.
They all suffer from what people call “smiling depression.”
“Smiling depression” is a term used for patients who are depressed,but who don’t exhibit the conventional outward symptoms such as
tears or lethargy. These “smiling” patients might not actually be aware
that they’re depressed – or they might have been diagnosed, but refuse
to tell anyone. On the outside, they can seem all smiles, and even en-
joy an active social life. But behind closed doors, they suffer from se-
cret insomnia, crushingly low self-esteem and even suicidal thoughts.
According to the latest statistics released by the World Health Or-
ganization, by 2015 over 320 million people were suffering from de-
pression, accounting for some 4.3 percent of the total global popula-
tion. That includes at least 90 million people in China. But although
people are growing more aware of the disease, it’s rarely recognised in
China, especially in this particular form.Invisible Torture
Smiling depression is a state that Wang Yiqing, an 18-year-old
secondary school student recognises only too well. A passionate, op-Mental Health
Tortured
Smiles
Smiling faces can hide deep depression, still
stigmatised in China. ChinaReport investigates
By Fu Yao