Mental health needs rising
Prisoners, welfare recipients and the elderly are among those who tend to need mental health workers to help them cope with life.
Prisoners, welfare recipients and the elderly are among those who tend to need mental health workers to help them cope with life.
Concerns about the psychological well-being of Hongkongers are underlined by the government's move, announced last year, to fund the city's first "mental health census", a three-year, HK$7 million research project to explore mental illness and suicidal behaviour.
About 1 per cent of Hong Kong residents now receive mental health treatment, but the need is thought to be far higher, says Frederick Yeung, programme leader of the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mental Health Nursing at Polytechnic University. He says that like most developed cities, about 10 per cent of Hongkongers would be expected to suffer from psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression.
"Among younger people, the attitude to mental health is changing, but we still need to improve public awareness and dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings rooted in traditional Chinese beliefs that are associated with mental health and mental health treatment," Yeung says.
The growing awareness of the need for psychiatric health care is fuelling demand for mental health nurses, he says.
Nursing aspirants who hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant subject, such as biology, can opt for PolyU's three-year, full-time Master of Nursing programme. The same programme is offered over two years for students who hold a bachelor's degree in nursing.
