【明報專訊】According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. Mental problems can lead to physical ones and predispose people to acts of self-harm. Mental patients often feel stigmatised by society and are faced with problems such as the lack of community support.
Academic stress
In the Hong Kong Mental Health Index Research conducted in 2016, pollsters asked 1,500 Hong Kong people aged 15 or above by phone about their self-evaluation of their mental health on a scale from 0 to 100, with 52 as the passing mark. It was found that Hong Kong people's average mental index was 56.31 marks, with academic studies being the greatest source of stress, affecting interviewees more than work, family and controversial issues in society.
During the academic years from 2014 to 2016, 71 students took their own lives. The Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides said that "student suicides are a complex phenomenon" and that some of the students had been diagnosed with mental illnesses before they committed suicide. In the report it was claimed that there was no evidence that students committed suicide because of the education system. But the committee agreed to review the education system and recommended the provision of training for teachers, students and parents as "gatekeepers" so as to enhance their alertness to mental health problems and improve their handling skills. It also suggested teaching young people the right way to respond to suicidal messages and etiquettes on social media. But Fernando Cheung (張超雄), a lawmaker, argued that a radical reform of the education system is the most important part of the prevention of student suicides.
Lack of support for mental patients
The Economist Intelligence Unit published the Asia Pacific Mental Health Integration Index in October 2016, comparing the levels of support received by mental patients in different regions. Hong Kong was ranked number seven among fifteen Asia-Pacific regions, falling behind Taiwan and Singapore. Researchers ranked the regions according to four criteria, namely environment, opportunity, treatment and management. Hong Kong was deemed to be lacking in a formal and comprehensive mental health policy, and there was a lack of coordination between the Hospital Authority, the Social Welfare Department and non-profit making organisations. Tsang Fan Kwong (曾繁光), a psychiatrist, said that the ratio is about 1 psychiatrist per 20,000 citizens, lower than the 1:7000 recommended in Europe and the US.
Related concepts:
．medical services
．social policy
．non-profit making organisation
[通通識 第470期]
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