Abstract: This paper analyzes the reason why the rate of depression in China around the globe was underestimated. Through arranging certain social theories, the paper refers to an analytical framework about the production of depression. The framework is based on the criteria of “global/international-national/domestic”and of “social structure-social construction”dimensions. Concretely speaking, Neoliberalist globalization simultaneously produces the social structure of and social construction of depression. The change of “social structure”is reflected on the time-space upheaval, which cause instability, as well as intensified individualization. These two factors cause people's emotions facing more conflicts than ever. The change of “social construction” includes industry, government academia and media's construction of medicalization, and the concept of the people's awareness of depression practices. The former is that industry, government academia and media all promote top-down medicalization of depression due to commercial interests of these actors. The latter is the conflicts between patients' subjective cognition or culture as well as objective pathology. Patients often face conflicts, bargain, and compromise. But neo-liberal globalization has provided people multivariate medical programs, which can promote bottom-up medicalization. These social constructions strengthen people's awareness of depression. Overall, there is a mature condition for generating depression in China in terms of the factor of “social structure”. However, the condition of “social construction” in China is still inadequate or hidden. This paper argues that “social construction” is more critical than “social structure” in terms of producing depression. Once the condition of “social construction” is more mature, the proportion of depressed patients in China would increase.

Key words: globalization, depression, social structure, neoliberalism, social construction