On June 12, 2020, less than a month before the college entrance examination, I treated a case of mania. The young man was a student preparing for the exam, who had been ill for six months with recurrent episodes. After taking medication for 6 days, he gradually regained consciousness, recovered his autonomy, and successfully took the exams in July. He is currently awaiting his admission notice.
Medical History and Western Medical Treatment
The young man’s family resides in Hubei, with a height of 182 cm and weight of 80 kg. His mother said he was healthy before high school. In his first year of high school, due to extreme stress before an exam, he began experiencing symptoms such as depression, irritability, insomnia, dry heaves, and a heavy sensation in the back.
The hospital diagnosed him with depression and prescribed antidepressants. After taking the medication, the young man experienced gastrointestinal disturbances and gained nearly 30 kg in weight.
During his third year of high school, he did not attend school for a whole year, staying at home all day, reversing day and night, studying late into the night, and sleeping during the day. Upon entering a prestigious university in 2019, a physical examination revealed gallbladder polyps and abnormal liver function tests (later confirmed by hospital rechecks). Feeling the college conditions were harsh and struggling with depression, he withdrew from school to prepare for the college entrance exam.
During his year of preparation, he self-studied at home. Initially, everything seemed fine. However, around the winter of 2019, he suddenly experienced severe auditory and visual hallucinations, believing that someone was trying to harm him and his family. At times, he felt he had committed a huge mistake, insisting on confessing to the police. He could not sleep all night, constantly scratching his head vigorously. During the day, he walked around the house, drank water persistently, urinated frequently, and parents could not leave him out of their sight. If they went out, he believed they had been arrested, leading to crying fits.
Traditional Chinese Medical History
After falling ill, his family first took him to the Hubei Province People’s Hospital Psychiatry Department, where he stayed for 15 days with no significant improvement before being discharged. En route back home from Hubei, they encountered a kind-hearted traditional Chinese medicine practitioner from Henan who prescribed herbs to help, and by the third dose, his condition had significantly improved, enabling him to resume studying normally.
However, a week later, his mania recurred, and his parents sought the same practitioner’s help from Henan again. Despite initial improvement for about 10 days, the symptoms resurfaced, causing sleep disturbances, reliance on sedatives to sleep at night, pacing around the house during the day, refusal to speak, eat, dress, or urinate and defecate independently. Feeling unable to provide further help, the Henan traditional Chinese medicine practitioner advised seeking a different doctor.
On January 20, 2020, when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out and the city was locked down, like other helpless people from Hubei, the young man turned to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Shenzhen for online assistance. The pattern of improvement followed a similar trajectory to the Henan practitioner’s treatment—initial effectiveness followed by relapses a week later, characterized by paranoia, severe constipation, and suspicions. Finally, in April when Hubei reopened, his parents took him to a local traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Shiyan for a comprehensive treatment including herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion, but the results were not significant. During follow-up visits, the doctor from Shiyan adjusted the treatment plan and recommended additional measures such as meditation, dietary adjustments, and exercise.
Seeking Buddhist Intervention
From the onset of his illness until April, despite sporadically taking Chinese herbal medicine for over three months, the young man refused to continue and instead of medical treatment, his parents engaged in Buddhist practices such as animal release, monk offerings, burning incense, requesting monks to chant, and playing the “Ksitigarbha Sutra” at home. Perhaps due to their sincere devotion, the young man gradually regained consciousness, enabling him to resume studying. Delighted with his progress, the parents continued their Buddhist practices, and the whole family followed a vegetarian diet.
However, after 10 days, he relapsed again, experiencing fluctuating health. By the end of May, he was relatively more lucid, studying intensively into the night until 11 pm or even early morning. A stubborn child since childhood, he disregarded his parents’ advice to sleep and wake up early. On the night of June 8, he had trouble sleeping, feeling restless, paranoid, sweating profusely, and experiencing severe constipation. This pattern of relapse continued.
Initial Consultation: June 12, 2020
On June 12, the mother brought the young man for a consultation at Wenzhen Chinese Medicine. During the consultation, the young man was incoherent, restless, and prevented his mother from describing the situation, attempting to grab her phone, pack luggage pretending to go on a trip, and wanting to report imaginary incidents. The mother, in despair, with a haggard appearance and helpless eyes, deeply touched my heart.
I believe that emotional and mental illnesses are caused by functional imbalances in the internal organs obstructing the circulation of Qi and Blood. I accurately documented the consultation and prescribed a traditional Chinese medicine formula.
Prescribing 5 doses, preparing decoction for delivery, providing instructions for taking the medication, and advising on a follow-up four days after the medication was crucial.
Second Consultation: June 18, 2020
Improvements observed: 1. Sleep quality improved significantly. 2. Perspiration continued, especially on the head. 3. Urination patterns changed positively. 4. Bowel movements regulated. 5. Mental clarity slightly improved. To address his emotional instability, I adjusted the dosage of herbal ingredients and added therapy to soothe his liver and improve sleep.
On June 26, the patient’s mother provided feedback, indicating that although many aspects had improved after taking the medication, the young man refused to continue treatment. Due to a tight schedule with a full caseload throughout July, I was unable to follow up until July 11.
It turned out that during this visit, the mother sought consultation on her own. After the second visit, despite not continuing with the medication, the young man was gradually regaining consciousness, self-studied before the college entrance exams, successfully took the exams, and was waiting for the results. The mother mentioned that besides his stubborn nature, the young man was doing well, and after enduring the turmoil for nearly half a year, both she and the father were no longer concerned about his exam results, just hoping for his well-being.
During the second visit, the mother also mentioned that although the young man’s performance in this year’s college entrance exam reached only the second-tier cutoff, slightly lower than the previous year, he remained resilient, physically and emotionally stable.
Worries and Emotional Challenges
During the summer vacation, I treated several young girls who were experiencing menstrual irregularities, collapse, or cessation, coupled with emotional distress leading them to feel misunderstood by their parents, cry for no apparent reason, and even resort to antidepressant medications.
Parents play a significant role in providing a good life for their children and should also consider the fragility of their psyche. When emotions like depression, anxiety, insomnia, and helplessness arise, parents must promptly address them and help their children cope. Emotional disorders are beginning at a younger age, and if unaddressed, can escalate into severe conditions that are challenging to treat.
Medical Expert Review
Dr. Lin Dadong (Chief Medical Officer of Wenzhen Chinese Medicine)
Handling issues related to consciousness can be quite challenging, and traditional Chinese medicine formulations not only address physiological concerns but also offer effective treatments for mental health issues. In this case, the young man previously benefited from traditional Chinese medicine, and later seeking help at Wenzhen Chinese Medicine was also fateful. The attending physician portrayed thoroughness and a personal investment in the patient’s well-being. The traditional Chinese medicine formulations provided direct assistance, and it is hoped that there will be further opportunities to track and assist this case.
