HONG KONG: In December of last year, Zhang Meng had a breakdown. Due to recurrent COVID lockdowns on her Beijing university campus, the 20-year-old found herself sobbing on the stairs of her hostel.She had been largely isolated in her room due to the lockdowns and unable to meet up with pals.
Additionally, there were stringent restrictions on when she could use the restroom or take a shower. Zhang claimed the limits had “removed the safety net that was holding me up and I felt like my whole being was coming down.” She described herself as someone who seeks in-person social engagement.
She was given a serious depression and anxiety diagnosis that month. Yao, 20, who requested that his first name not be used, experienced his first breakdown while a boarder in high school and couldn’t understand why lockdown procedures were so strict. He claimed that on one occasion, he was forced to seek solace in a school bathroom while sobbing because “it seemed like my insides were crying.
“Unable to overcome his despair and angry that he had not enrolled in the courses he wanted to for fear of upsetting his father, Yao made an attempt on his life in the early months of 2021 while attending university in Beijing.To stop every COVID outbreak, China has used some of the strictest and most frequent lockdown procedures in the entire globe.
