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Depression over business woes sends man to closet

People react to depression in a number of ways, but one worried wife was surprised when she discovered her husband had taken to hiding in a closet.

Wang Chia-lin (王家麟), chief psychiatrist at Yang Ming Hospital in Chiayi, said that the man, surnamed Chen, suffered from depression after losing more than NT$10 million (US$300,000) when friends convinced him to invest in real estate deals in China that fell through.

The man began hiding in the closet around six months ago as a form of self-punishment, Wang said.

"The first time it happened, his wife told me she had looked for him all over the house before finding him curled up in a ball inside a closet," Wang said.

Chen became depressed because he had been cheated, but did not want to go to court to sue his friend, Wang said.

"Most people in these circumstances would try to get their money back," he said. "But this man still felt that this would be disloyal to his friend."

Chen continued to hide in the closet for hours at a time as his depression worsened. He ate little and became uncommunicative. But it was only after he had lost 30kg in three months that his wife bought him to see Wang.

The doctor said Chen's behavior was a kind of self-punishment.

"The first thing he said to me was `I'm useless. I'm not a man.'" Wang said. "The chief obstacle to getting help is really the patient."

Despite Chen's initial reluctance, he has responded well to treatment, Wang said.
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