Collage contrasting Lang's over-beautified profile photo and her real-life photo. Photo: Screenshot from media reports

A psychiatrist's official profile photo went viral for its heavily beautified look, which stood in stark contrast to no‑frills style of standard official portraits most people use. Some netizens joked that people "got cured of depression without booking a consultation," domestic media outlet The Paper reported.

The doctor that swept across the internet is Lang Xiao'e, a psychiatrist working at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. As of press time, the photo on the hospital's online appointment booking platform has been updated to better reflect her actual appearance, The Paper reported.

The online platform also showed that Lang specializes in treating schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, adolescent psychological and psychiatric disorders, and other mental illnesses. She has received 235 silk banners in gratitude from patients, with her cumulative appointment bookings hitting 87,000.

Even after the photo was updated, the topic continued generating buzz online. Many netizens dug up unretouched photos of Lang to contrast her heavily edited profile photo with her usual demeanor as a poised, highly experienced top psychiatrist, The Paper reported.

The contrast sparked a wave of lighthearted reactions online, with one netizen commenting, "Got cured of depression without making an appointment."

Some netizens also said that Lang has broken the entrenched stereotype that psychiatrists are always stern and reserved, according to the report.


Global Times