Warning over Hong Kong teens’ mental health during coronavirus pandemic after medical cases involving insertion of foreign objects
- Hong Kong Medical Journal reports two cases stemming from last year involving electrical wire and a shampoo bottle
- Government, parents and schools must put greater effort into monitoring young people’s psychological health, it says
According to the latest issue of the Hong Kong Medical Journal, a 12-year-old boy and his mother sought help from the emergency unit at Prince of Wales Hospital in June last year, a day after he inserted electrical wire into his urethra in an attempt to relieve “itchiness”.
Medical examination showed a tangle of electrical wire inside the urethra with 20cm (7.9 inches) protruding via the opening. Surgeons removed the object and reconstructed the damaged area.
The mother said the boy had been having difficulties settling into school and adapting to life after recently moving from Taiwan.
With school suspended during the pandemic, the boy’s emotional health had suffered due to extended periods at home, the article reported.
A clinical psychologist diagnosed the boy as having limited problem-solving skills and “autistic features”. He was discharged after two days.