‘Scarred’ former patient on mission to cut public stigma of mental illness in Hong Kong
Sushi Siu, who recently wrote a book on her experiences dealing with psychosis, wants people to know exactly what she and many others are going through in their lives
An unpleasant job interview years ago has left a scar on Sushi Siu Sze-man’s life. On the job application form, the former psychosis patient was asked to declare her mental state.
“One question on the application form was whether I was mentally ill before,” recalls Siu, 33. “I didn’t know whether I could just ignore the question. I thought I had to declare everything during a job interview.”
In the end the company did not hire Siu, and she was told it was because they found a better candidate. But she was sceptical about the explanation, describing the painful experience as “a scar” on her life.
“They didn’t ask whether I had cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes, only mental illness. Why?” she says.
Siu, who recently published a book documenting her journey with the illness, was diagnosed with psychosis at the age of 19. The disorder forced her to drop out of the first year of her associate degree programme in social work.
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Soon after the diagnosis, Siu learned that her childhood best friend had committed suicide.
