Student suicides in Hong Kong signal distressing lack of mental health support for our youth
William Pang and Kelvin Lee say the stigma prevents many who are sinking under school pressures from getting the help they need
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As students and parents grapple with the spate of suicides since the beginning of the academic year, much attention has been placed on the stressful environment fostered by parents and educators. After all, pre-university students are expected to go to school from 8am to 3pm, spend an additional two hours at tutorial school and, on top of it all, take part in extracurricular activities such as music classes and sports training. For university students, joining executive committees of student bodies (Hong Kong’s version of a fraternity) is seen as a rite of passage, and many work hard to achieve good academic results in order to secure a prosperous job.
The serious dialogue on how to improve our study-life balance must continue. At the same time, we must start paying more attention to mental health support. Perhaps the running joke, “If you’re mentally ill, go to Tsing San [Castle Peak] Hospital”, suggests a dangerous perception among Hong Kong students that mental illness is shameful, and anyone who seeks help is effectively “crazy”.
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Seeking support should not be viewed as a flaw or weakness, but as a sign of wisdom and courage for acknowledging that we all need a helping hand from time to time
When more than four in 10 Hongkongers between the ages of 11 and 30 say they have experienced thoughts of suicide, we should acknowledge that many young adults go through moments of mental crisis at some point in their lives. Seeking support should not be viewed as a flaw or weakness, but as a sign of wisdom and courage for acknowledging that we all need a helping hand from time to time.
To really change the stigma of mental health, students, parents and educators must work together to promote a healthy conversation. At the pre-university level, parents play an important role in instilling the notion that “it’s OK to ask for help”. If children are more willing to open up at a young age, chances are they will be more willing to seek help at an older age.
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When we asked friends studying at various universities across Hong Kong whether the subject of mental health was discussed in orientation camps or dormitory events, there was an almost unanimous “no”. It doesn’t come as a surprise, given that an orientation camp is mainly fun and games, but if its true purpose is to help students transition into university life, student leaders should facilitate serious discussions on mental health awareness and other issues important to overall well-being.
Tragedies such as suicides shed light on the most devastating consequences of the struggle for mental well-being
In addition to providing more awareness and counselling services to students, educational institutions should always look for new initiatives to improve mental health support. For example, the Wellness Recovery Action Plan is a psychoeducational programme created in the US to help people combat mental health issues. A unique aspect is its peer-support system, allowing trained students to facilitate mental health discussions in groups (university mental health clinics are usually overburdened, often neglecting support for students who show mild to moderate symptoms). This shows that students and institutions can and must work together to overcome the stigma of mental health problems.
Tragedies such as suicides shed light on the most devastating consequences of the struggle for mental well-being, and we should not forget the silent majority who are trying to cope. Greater understanding and compassion could go a long way in positively shaping society’s view of mental health issues.
William Pang is an engineering student at McGill University. Kelvin Lee is a business student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
