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.
‘About 16 per cent of Hong Kong’s young people have likely mental health issues’
Actual numbers may be even higher because official data showed only the clinically confirmed cases.
Disruptions to education caused by the pandemic took a significant toll, with face-to-face teaching and other activities having been replaced by online learning or cancelled altogether. The lack of a school life and peer support saw students deprived of an essential means of development at an important stage of their lives, leading them to become less resilient to stress and hardship.
An earlier study had shown how the mental well-being of university students had fallen from a score of 3.5 on a six-point scale in 2017 to 3.1 in 2020, a trend attributed to issues such as family tensions, academic pressure and career prospects. Covid has certainly taken this to the next level.
A study in Japan in 2022 found university students had become more depressed and anxious, with the number of those who had thought of suicide also increasing.
Number of Hong Kong students with mental health woes doubles in 4 years
In Hong Kong, the changing political environment in the wake of the 2019 social unrest may have also added to the problem. For some, the ongoing emigration wave has brought a sense of helplessness, alienation and pessimism.
Both the younger and older generations are still trying to make sense of what such changes may mean for the future. Authorities must monitor the mental wellness of the public and provide timely support for those in need of help.
