Hong Kong authorities’ plan to expand conditional discharge scheme could deter people from seeking help, social worker says
- Authorities propose expanding conditional discharge scheme to patients admitted voluntarily but found to have violent tendencies
- Society for Community Organisation’s Crystal Yuen says some patients are admitted to hospital voluntarily when feeling severely depressed
Concerns were raised a day after the government suggested changes to the existing conditional discharge system, part of efforts to improve the city’s services following a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health on Thursday.
One suggestion was to expand the scheme to patients admitted voluntarily but found to have violent tendencies or those who displayed aggressive behaviour in hospital, meaning they could be subject to conditions when discharged.
Crystal Yuen Shuk-yan, from the Society for Community Organisation and a member of the advisory committee, voiced her concerns about expanding the scheme.
“When patients are admitted to hospital voluntarily, but with possible conditions imposed on them when getting discharged, this could bring more concern to patients who originally hoped to enter hospital voluntarily,” Yuen told a radio show on Friday.
She said some patients went to hospital voluntarily if they felt severely depressed or were concerned about suicide.
“With these extra measures, we are worried that people would step back and the original goal of helping would be lost,” she said.