Helpline good, but it's not nearly enough

I AM writing on behalf of the Clinical Division of the Hong Kong Psychological Society.

We read with interest the January 18 article on the telephone helpline set up for women in Beijing.

We applaud this effort. We believe that it meets a very real public health need by providing front-line necessary counselling for serious mental health concerns.

In such times of rapid political and economic change, traditionally disempowered groups such as women and children are especially vulnerable to abuse or exploitation.

In these circumstances, we would expect to see pervasive and debilitating feelings of anger, frustration, depression and confusion in large segments of the population.

The powerful negative result of these feelings on individual occupational, social and family life cannot be strongly enough stated.