Current Status and Challenges of Depression: A Global Health Burden

Depression is one of the most prevalent and disabling diseases worldwide. Epidemiological data from 2025 show that the lifetime prevalence of depressive disorders among Chinese adults is 6.8%, with major depressive disorder accounting for 3.4%. The current total number of patients is approximately 95 million, with a significant proportion suffering from severe depression. Depressed individuals experience poor quality of life and severe social functional impairment, placing a heavy burden on individuals, families, and even society as a whole.

Mirtazapine: A First-Line Choice for Antidepressant Therapy

The novel NaSSA antidepressant mirtazapine is the world's first noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA). With its unique dual mechanism of action, it offers rapid onset, significant efficacy, high safety, and good patient compliance. As a result, it has been recommended as a first-line antidepressant in both domestic and international guidelines.

Mirtazapine was first approved in 1994 and entered the Chinese market in 2004. Currently, its global market size exceeds $2 billion, with an average annual growth rate of around 8%. Mirtazapine is emerging as one of the mainstream treatments for depression, helping an increasing number of patients achieve recovery.

Building a Global Collaborative Ecosystem to Unleash Innovation Momentum

To further advance the improvement of depression diagnosis and treatment standards and promote the rational clinical use of mirtazapine, the Hunan "Mental Health Salon Forum" was successfully held on May 11, 2025, at the Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Furongguo Hotel in Changsha, under the theme "Integration · Innovation · Development: Building a Full-Cycle Mental Health Service System."

The event was organized by Zhonghuan Pharmaceutical and co-hosted by experts from the Institute of Mental Health of Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University and Hunan Brain Hospital. It attracted numerous psychiatrists and industry specialists to discuss innovations and practices in mental health work in the new era.

The forum commenced with an opening speech by Professor Wang Xuyi, the conference chair. He extended a warm welcome to all attendees and emphasized the significance of this salon meeting.

Subsequently, Mr. Zhong Qingcheng, General Manager of Zhonghuan Pharmaceutical's Changsha Office, and Mr. Jiang Liuping, Operations Director, provided a comprehensive overview of the company's development history and vision while showcasing its product strengths.

As China's first one-stop global pharmaceutical distribution management service provider, Zhonghuan Pharmaceutical has dedicated 18 years to becoming an internationally competitive technology-driven healthcare enterprise, aligning with the nation's push for innovation in the health industry. The company has introduced multiple India-imported products, all of which are original imports manufactured under EU and FDA standards, ensuring superior quality and enhanced safety.

Professor Li Ling from Peking University's National School of Development further emphasized India's leadership in generic drug production, noting that over half of America's annual pharmaceutical imports come from India—a testament to the high safety and efficacy standards of Indian medications. This insight provided attendees with a deeper understanding of Zhonghuan Pharmaceutical's commitment to excellence.

The academic symposium delivered substantial content, exploring innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches from multiple perspectives.

The lecture session of this salon forum was exceptionally brilliant. Professor Zhou Jiansong from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University provided an in-depth interpretation of the latest updates to the CANMAT guidelines. The content was both professional and easy to understand, focusing on the principles of depression treatment decision-making, how to select initial treatment options, and what to do if patients do not improve. While explaining the guideline content, Professor Zhou also shared his clinical experience with the attendees, which greatly benefited all participants.

Dr. Wu Zhimei from Hunan Second Provincial People's Hospital delivered a presentation titled "Xiluoning Mirtazapine Tablets: A Potent and Reliable Choice for Depression Treatment". She comprehensively elaborated on the clinical applications and advantages of this medication in depression management, integrating the latest guideline recommendations with her extensive clinical experience. The presentation emphasized mirtazapine's established position in clinical practice while showcasing multiple classic case studies. By combining real-world research findings with guideline recommendations, Dr. Wu provided attendees with more advanced therapeutic approaches.

The discussion session brought the event to its climax. Professor Guo Wenbin from Xiangya Second Hospital of Central South University, Professor Xu Caijuan from Hunan Second Provincial People's Hospital, and President Zhang Youmei from Zhuzhou Third Hospital engaged in an in-depth discussion on several key topics: the clinical significance of somatic symptoms in masked depression, personalized treatment plans for depression with comorbid insomnia, and the principles of antidepressant use and management.

Professor Guo pointed out that patients with masked depression often present with somatic symptoms as their initial manifestation, resulting in low psychiatric consultation rates and high rates of misdiagnosis. He emphasized the need for multidisciplinary team (MDT) approaches to improve diagnostic efficiency. Professor Xu noted that among patients with depression and comorbid insomnia, sleep disturbances are the most common somatic symptoms, with early awakening or difficulty falling asleep significantly affecting prognosis. She advocated for stratified management in personalized treatment, dividing interventions into pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. President Zhang proposed that clinical medication should follow a stepped and precise strategy: SSRIs as first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression, with multi-receptor modulators like mirtazapine for cases accompanied by insomnia or treatment-resistant depression. She also stressed the importance of safety management and monitoring, particularly regarding withdrawal syndrome.

The experts exchanged diverse perspectives, offering valuable insights and inspiration to all attendees through this vibrant intellectual exchange.

Government, Enterprises, Academia and Research Institutions Join Forces to Build Mental Health Defenses.

In conclusion, Professor Wang Xuyi summarized the salon, reviewing its key content and highlights while outlining future prospects for the mental health field. Participants unanimously agreed the event was highly rewarding—not only broadening professional horizons but also establishing valuable connections with peers, laying a solid foundation for future collaboration and exchange.

The successful holding of this Mental Health Salon Forum not only reflects Zhonghuan Pharmaceutical's high regard for mental health work, but also injects new vitality into promoting innovation in mental health service models and building a full-cycle mental health service system.

Zhonghuan's New Era of Mental Health provides all-round protection and intelligent solutions for the future. From drug innovation to whole life cycle management, we are building a "prevention-intervention-rehabilitation" closed loop, focusing on three core groups: teenagers, working professionals, and the elderly population. We aim to achieve breakthroughs in precision medicine, including innovative drug research and development of the world's fastest-acting antidepressant molecules and brain-computer interface technology, rewriting the history of passive depression treatment.

We look forward to more such communication platforms in the future to jointly promote the prosperous development of mental health services! We will continue to implement Zhonghuan's philosophy.

With strong capabilities to address mental health challenges,
We rebuild spiritual oases through ecosystem solutions.