Editorial | Hong Kong student mental illness needs serious thought
- With city cases having doubled in four years, now is the time to face the problem, monitor public wellness and reach out to those who require support
Officially, the world is no longer a Covid-19 patient following the lifting of a global emergency health alert by the World Health Organization. But many people are still struggling with the fallout of the disease.
We are not only talking about the effects of long Covid, but also the mental wellness of individuals.
It is disturbing that the number of students in Hong Kong with mental health problems has doubled in four years. Those at tertiary level have fared worst, with 776 diagnosed as suffering from mental illness, tripling from fewer than 250 in 2018-19.
Figures at secondary and primary levels have seen a 140 per cent increase, raising the total number of cases to 1,400, according to the Education Bureau. Illnesses include anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychotic, bipolar and oppositional defiant disorders and other issues.
Actual numbers may be even higher because official data showed only the clinically confirmed cases.