In Depth: College Student Depression Hides Anxieties About Jobs and Covid

In the small six-bed dormitory, Dai Chang could only cry when muffled under her blanket so to not disturb her roommates. The student in Xi’an, Northwest China, had lost not only her daily routine, but also her appetite, a week on from being sealed into her college campus. She cried herself to sleep most nights.

Dai finally left for home 20 days into the campus lockdown but her mental state did not improve. At home, she battled to suppress the urge to self-harm and often broke down in uncontrollable tears. She was admitted to a psychiatric unit in February, diagnosed with depression, and prescribed medication.