Anxiety, depression, stress: how stalkers affect their victims’ mental health and upend their lives – and tips from a psychotherapist on staying safe

Celebrities have shared stories of stalkers, and the mental anguish caused by these obsessed fans and control freaks. But they are not the only stalking victims

After a Hong Kong policeman is suspended for following two women to their apartments, a psychotherapist offers advice on how to stay safe from stalkers

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Singer Taylor Swift has had so many stalkers, she carries bandages for gunshot or stab wounds. Photo: JC Olivera/Getty Images/TNS

Published: 7:15am, 16 Feb 2022Updated: 12:11am, 21 Apr 2023

A Hong Kong police constable made headlines last week after being suspended from duty after he allegedly followed two women home and asked them to be “his mistresses”.

One of the women posted a video of the off-duty officer online, prompting others to come forward with similar allegations. One commented: “If this is the same person which I’m almost certain it is, he was stalking me over the summer in Sai Ying Pun on my top flat on Second Street.

“He would frequently come up to my roof, tried to get into my flat and left me inappropriate objects and notes.”

American pop star Taylor Swift has had so many stalkers that she’s resorted to carrying around bandages for gunshot or stab wounds. “You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house, and you kind of start prepping for bad things,” she said in a 2019 interview with Elle magazine.

A Hong Kong police constable is expected to be dismissed following suspicions he pursued two women home and asked them to be ‘his mistresses’, according to a police source. Photo: Facebook

Stalking has been the subject of several Hollywood films, from Glenn Close’s bunny-boiler in 1987’s Fatal Attraction to The Bodyguard (1992) and more recently, The Girl on the Train. Celebrities including Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Halle Berry have exposed the dark side of fame by sharing their stalker stories.