An onsite training program for physicians has been launched in major Chinese cities jointly by the Lundbeck Institute and the World Psychiatric Association to improve clinical knowledge of depression.

The Ministry of Health estimates that 5 to 10 percent of the population suffers from depression. However, only 5 percent of sufferers have access to proper, timely treatment.

"Apart from people's reluctance to seek professional therapy, a lack of knowledge about mental illnesses among physicians, particularly at grassroots level health institutions, is a factor," said Yu Xin, who heads the Institute of Mental Health at Peking University.