Plumbing the depths of despair

As for psychological therapy, a good therapist is still rare in China.

Jian Lili, a psychological consultant at a college, says there are more than 300,000 certified therapists in China, but many do not have any academic training in psychology. Most simply find their knowledge in tomes of training books aimed at passing these examinations, and cannot provide useful care for patients.

A 43-year-old man who asks to be known as Guo relates his bad experience with a so-called private psychology therapist.

He was diagnosed with mild depression in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, in 2010, and paid up to 500 yuan ($83) per hour for psychology sessions.

He had the feeling that the therapist was more focused on getting money from him than actually treating his depression.

Guo says he did not go to a public hospital, because it was very hard to get an appointment with the registered therapists there. He credited his recovery to medication, even though he suffered side effects, such as dizziness and stomach upsets.

Jian says a law issued in mid-2013 bans private psychological consultants from treating a patient diagnosed with depression.

"The law was meant to protect patients from unqualified therapists. However, good therapists have always been in short supply, and with the new regulations, the situation has gotten worse," Jian says. She also works at a private psychological consultancy.

An important thing for a patient with depression is to find someone trustworthy to talk to, Jian says.

When the young college student from Nanjing left her suicide note on her micro blog, she probably never thought it would make headline news all over China.

Almost a year has gone and her micro blog still attracts dozens of visits every day, with people writing about their own depression and others seeking to help them.

Perhaps that's all she wanted, too.

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Lend me your ears, show me the light