Hong Kong’s John Lee unveiled new measures to tackle the city’s mental health crisis during his second Policy Address on Wednesday.
Lee said that a pilot scheme will be launched in three District Health Centres over the coming year, in collaboration with local organisations. It will provide early follow-up and referrals for high-risk mental health cases, as well as the provision of mental health assessments for those in need.
A “mental health literacy kit” will also be supplied to schools, Lee announced. The resource kits will be distributed by the Education Bureau to upper primary and junior secondary levels in the 2023-25 school years. Resources will also be prepared for lower primary and senior secondary levels for later roll-out.
“The Government attaches great importance to mental health, and will continue to adopt an integrated approach to promote mental health, which covers prevention, early identification, as well as provision of timely intervention, treatment and rehabilitation for persons in need,” he told lawmakers at the Legislative Council.
Lee also told lawmakers that the Social Welfare Department “will set up four additional Parents/Relatives Resource Centres for carers of those in mental recovery to support people in mental recovery and their carers.”
He added that the government “will collaborate with NGOs to set up a service centre on a trial basis to provide emotional support and counselling services for [Ethic Minorities.]”
See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong
In May, the University of Hong Kong released a study indicating that a quarter of young Hong Kong people were thought to have suffered from mental health issues, with depression the most prevalent disorder.
Over the past decade Hong Kong has seen a worrying trend in terms of the mental health of its population, in particular following the Covid-19 pandemic. It ranked 83rd out of 137 in the 2022 United Nations World Happiness Report.
Meanwhile, the latest Hong Kong Mental Health Index Survey – released annually by multiple rehabilitation and public institutions – revealed that the average score of the mental health index for Hong Kong people had been below the passing grade for five consecutive years since 2018.
Renewed focus on mental health
In June, a spate of stabbings led to a renewed focus on the issue of mental health.
The government proposed 10 “enhanced measures” to support people with mental health needs, including optimising the ratio of a case manager – a psychiatric nurse, an occupational therapist or a social worker – to patients, with severe mental disorders to no higher than 1:40. This would mean they cater to the needs of no more than 40 people at a time.
Expanding the use of psychiatric oral drugs or injections with fewer side effects; shortening the median waiting time for patients; and enhancing communication between the Hospital Authority and the Social Welfare Department, were among other proposed measures.
See also: Hong Kong proposes ‘enhanced measures’ to improve mental health support following mall stabbings
In addition, while the government suggested shortening the median waiting time for urgent cases from two weeks to one week, and for semi-urgent cases from eight weeks to four, the actual waiting times already met those targets, according to the Hospital Authority’s website.
| 💡If you are in need of support, please call: The Samaritans 2896 0000 (24-hour, multilingual), Suicide Prevention Centre 2382 0000 or the government mental health hotline on 18111. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese: 6218 1084. See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong. |
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Policy Address 2023 – full coverage:
