All work and no play: why more Hong Kong children are having mental health problems
An examinations-based education system, family pressure and little outdoor time are partly to blame
Children in Hong Kong are becoming increasingly stressed out, overworked and unhappy, and the situation is taking its toll on overburdened psychiatric services.
The overall number of mental health patients increased by 2 to 4 per cent every year, from about 187,000 in 2011-12 to more than 226,000 in 2015-16, according to the Hospital Authority.
Experts say the findings are sadly unsurprising, given the much publicised pressures facing the city’s young people – namely an intense examinations-based education system and high family expectations.
One of the government’s recommendations in its recent mental health service review was that schools should adopt a more interventionist approach in cases where they consider pupils to be suffering from poor mental health.
But it failed to account for the shortage of doctors in Hong Kong available to treat mental health problems; there are about 330 psychiatrists employed in the city’s public hospitals – 400 fewer than the number recommended by the World Health Organisation, taking into account the city’s population. Families more than ever are forced to address the problem themselves.