‍In late 2004, 17-year-old Deng Lijiao from the southwest Chinese municipality of Chongqing called her father and asked him to pick her up from school. If he didn't, she said she would take her own life by jumping from upstairs.

The drama heralded the family's nightmare – Deng had abruptly been overtaken by severe depression, soon after she was admitted to a prestigious Chinese university, ahead of the national college entrance exam.

"The direct cause was stress that had accumulated for years. I just felt I lost my spiritual pillar and objective overnight. It was like a taut rubber band suddenly snapped," Deng, now 31-years-old, told CGTN.

Diary entries by Deng's father recorded how the entire family struggled with the depression, an illness they knew nothing about, including trying to deal with the young girl's manic behavior, her personality changes, and the family's tough journey in seeking help.

"My palms were sweating and I couldn't stop trembling the moment the doctor told me my daughter was diagnosed with so-called manic depression. It was a huge blow to me," said Deng's father. "But I told myself I would save my daughter at any cost."

Following about five years of arduous attempts to save her, which included medication, psychological support and involvement in various social activities, Deng finally came out of the dark and finished her schooling.

"Looking back on those days, each day was indescribably painful," said the father in his 50s.

Over the years, Deng developed her interest in psychology and started her own practice in 2011.

"I found I'm sort of gifted at it. More importantly, I want to use my experience and what I've learned to help more people in need," she said. 

More than 65 percent of Deng's visitors are between the ages of 14 and 30, and suffer from anxiety or depression, mainly due to pressure from school and their families.‍

There are not exact numbers of depression sufferers in China, but some surveys put the number at about 90 million. Many of them, however, have never received proper treatment.

In September, a 21-year-old woman chose to end her life by jumping from Mount E'mei in southwest China's Sichuan Province despite the crowd's attempts to dissuade her. The tragedy aroused heated online discussions, with many expressing their sympathy. She said in her will, which was revealed online, that she had been tortured by severe depression for years and done all she could to fight against the illness. 

"People always thought I was joking, or said I was not strong enough every time I expressed my feelings," read the will.

This is what Deng worries about.

"People's awareness on this illness has improved to some extent, but it's still far from enough. Some parents still can't understand their children's pain and even scold and beat them. Some can't find proper treatment."