Mental health experts have urged greater care for Hong Kong’s schoolchildren and an eased academic burden after a survey showed that some eight per cent of secondary students had thought about suicide in the past year.
The survey of 6,082 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 also showed that almost one in four of all respondents, or 24.4 per cent, experienced at least one mental health issue over the past year, but nearly half of their caregivers were reluctant to seek help from professionals.
The survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that 3.9 per cent of the total had thought of suicide over the past one year while another 1.9 per cent planned suicide and 1.1 per cent attempted to kill themselves.
The ratio among secondary school students was higher – 8.4 per cent had a “suicide ideation,” while another 3. 8 per cent planned and 2.3 per cent attempted to take their own life.
Schools in the city have reported more suspected suicide cases to authorities this year compared to the past two years. Under Secretary for Health Libby Lee told lawmakers in mid-November that the situation raised “serious alarm.”
Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong – an NGO specialising in suicide prevention – has attributed the rising number partly to excessive academic pressure as some schools and parents try to make up for time lost during the pandemic.
The survey was commissioned by the government on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health.
Wong Yan-lung, chair of the Advisory Committee, urged society to prioritise the mental health of students and to ease their academic burden during a press conference on Wednesday to present the findings.
The research team said families and schools should work together to identify early warning signs such as sleep disorders, academic decline, or frequent school absences.
“These are early indicators of mental health difficulties and should be addressed promptly,” said Hung Se-fong, clinical professor of CUHK’s Medicine’s Department, adding that the public should also pay attention to the impact of parental mental health on children.
According to the survey, one in 10 students surveyed had suffered significant sleep problems.
Mental health of elderly people
The research team also conducted another survey on the mental health of elderly people by speaking to 4,368 people aged 60 or above living at home as well as 503 people in residential care homes.
According to the survey, 8.6 per cent of elderly people living at home suffered from depression and/or anxiety disorders.
In addition, one-fifth of the elderly people living at home had mild neurocognitive disordera and around 70 per cent of elderly people residing in care homes lived with dementia.
| 💡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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