Some families are split on the pro-democracy movement issue, so much so that different political views have even caused family members to "unlike" each other on social media platforms and led to real-life conflicts.

The fact that the divide is usually across the age barrier makes matters worse.

Finding solutions to such problems is vital, as maintaining good family ties and good interpersonal relationships are important to long-term health - both physical and mental.

As a family doctor, I have come across a wide range of health problems that concern different stages of life. Many of them are family-related problems.

Shortly after getting married, one of my patients and his wife moved in with his mother. He quickly found out they didn't get on at all.

This bad relationship had gone on for a while. One day he came to see about a headache. I found out he had had a fierce fight with his wife the night before about her bad relationship with his mother.

In another case, Wendy suffered from stomach discomfort, and she had a cold that wouldn't go away. After further inquiry I realised Wendy had been concerned about her son's study problems. Her son was attending primary school. Wendy blamed her husband for not sharing their son's school problems and not handling the issue with her.

In another case, young Kenneth's eczema problem had worsened and his mother brought him to me for consultation and treatment.

She thought her teenage son's health problem may have been related to academic pressure. She also thought he was a bit rebellious in his behaviour. But after talking to Kenneth, I realised it all stemmed from his fear that his parents may be getting a divorce.

In the case of Chi-kin, he came to me with his wife, who suffered from insomnia and depression. He thought her problems were related to menopause and depression.

But his wife believed they were all related to missing their son who was studying overseas, and the fact that she couldn't get on with her recently retired husband. She also revealed that she was still angered by the fact that Chi-kin had had an affair years earlier.

A first glimpse of these cases would give an impression that they were health related. But deep down they were all family related and stemmed from family problems.

Because family doctors follow cases for years, they have the advantage of understanding deep-seated family problems as they have personal insights into some of the most intimate interpersonal relationships in a family. These insights are important in helping them to form the right diagnosis, and thus hand out the correct treatments.

Family doctors know when to refer cases to marriage counsellors, family therapists, psychiatrists or social workers. That way the root problems of the health issues can be treated thoroughly and in a holistic manner.

When interpersonal relationship problems within a family first surface, they must be dealt with straight away before they turn into health issues. Improving relationship between family members is a good start in improving individual health.

Dr Lam Wing-wo is a Hong Kong-based family doctor