You have to be careful as I did hear that depression is considered a mental illness in China, and foreigners with mental illnesses are (on paper anway) not admitted into the country. I had a friend who got his meds sent from the US but was always worried that customs would find out and deport him.

Yet if a western doctor did a diagnosis on random local people here, it could possibly yield interesting results.

Actually all of this has been changing if not rapidly then if at a heretofore-unthought of rate.  The OP is in Dalian I believe and there is a very good Psychiatric Section at the Dalian Central Hospital (just google the hospital for details).  No shame to this at all but you will need a doctor for this one -- they are not handed out over the counter like antibiotics.

You do not need to go to a hospital to get these meds. Go to any Chinese pharmacy and they will be happy to sell you the meds and also suggest a herbal remmady that might work. Franck3

Yours is a 4-in-1 question.  Based on anecdotal evidence (and personal experience), my answers are:

1) Yes.  A foreigner can go to a Chinese hospital for antidepressants.  The meds exist for both Chinese and non-Chinese nationals who need them.  If your municipal hospital has an "international clinic" with English-speaking Chinese doctors, you will definitely not have a problem getting treatment.

2) Being treated for depression will not affect a foreigner's (your?) visa.  Just don't blatantly announce any disorder before you get a visa, that's all.  And once you have the visa, doctors in China are as discreet and ethical as doctors anywhere in the world.  (The Hippocratic Oath is alive and well in China.) They will not reveal your "secret" to the visa police, so relax.

3) Mental issues in China?  What a careless statement!  You need to rethink that statement with a clear head.  Don't confuse mental issues with behavioural issues, which most people, including me, on this forum constantly gripe about.  I wish my broken family had the mental issues the Chinese have!  Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, suicide, chronic anxiety syndrome, etc.  Where I come from, we treat the aforementioned with chemicals and talk therapy.  In China, family and community support go a long way in dealing with mental illness.  And trained doctors pitch in.

4) Foreigners who are "simply not being treated properly" are, in all likelihood, foreigners who are not treated properly in their home countries for the very simple reason that they do not know how to manage their illness well and expect others to make all the moves and decisions.  In my experience, foreigners are treated quite properly by Chinese doctors, with great respect and kindness, and with the best "bedside manners" I have ever experienced in the 6 countries I have lived and worked in, on a long-term basis, over the past 20 years.

Conclusion: dismiss your biases and seek out the best medical care you can possibly find wherever you are in China.  You won't be disappointed.  Oh, and take a little ownership of your own illness (if, indeed, your question is a personal one).  Good luck!

Wait a minute... This question was asked over a year ago!  Ha ha!  Curious to know if the OP is still wringing his/her hands over the issue.  Ah, well.  Doesn't matter, I suppose.  I'm sure he/she sorted it out.

It's all about RMB here if you got it then yes you can! Simple as that it doesn't take rocket science to know this. You would be amazed at how much 1 kuai will take you here.