Tong Xiaojun says that through talking to teachers and counselors on campus, many of these mental disorders could be corrected, but what really worries her is that many other students would fail to find a way to vent their negative feelings.

She believes lack of communication skills is the major reason behind rising psychological problems and points a finger at unhealthy family environments.

"These young people are mostly the only child. They don't have siblings, so they have nowhere to practice interacting, communicating and compromising with people. All of the skills they need after they enter society. Another reason is that parents love children in an unconsciously wrong way, and so they spoil them and overprotect them. All of this hampers children's ability to work through difficulties, make their own decisions and be independent. Finally, some parents are too busy earning money so they don't have time to communicate or educate their children."

Family is where people start their life journey and parents are children's first role models. However, the Chinese family has been through dramatic changes in recent years. On the Chinese mainland, 34 percent of people under the age of 25 are the only child in their families. And, as migrant workers flow from the countryside to cities, there are now more than 58 million children left behind in the rural area. They will grow up with their parents absent for most of the time.

For solutions, the professor suggests China promotes parenting skills and build up community-level venues for children to play and grow together.

"First, at the national level, we need to build a family education system that provides services specifically to meet the needs of parents. An important part of the system is to provide parental skill training. Secondly, at the community level, we should build a children's center. It should be a space for children to go to play and to learn, to get along with each other, communicate with each other and face challenges."

People from all walks of life have contributed ideas to tackle the psychological issues of young people. For instance, in the just concluded session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's advisory body, some members suggested promoting Character Education in the country as a way to help Chinese youngsters develop a healthy personality.

Shi Guannna, the junior college student, expresses her hopes.

"You know, all these things happen around me and sometimes I think that if my classmates could talk to people about their problems, to their folks or their friends, they wouldn't feel the need to commit suicide. And if people give each other more love and support, things would be different too."