In Depth: Why Depression Goes Undertreated Among China’s Seniors

It wasn’t until Wang Yueyun was rescued from a river after a suicide attempt on a morning after the Mid-Autumn Festival that her son realized the 67-year-old woman had been suffering from depression.

Late-life depression (LLD), a common mental health disorder among seniors characterized by persistent depression and a high risk of suicide, is often underrecognized and undertreated, as it is often misdiagnosed as an age-related physical illness.