https://www.scmp.com/rss/321855/feed Christian Chan, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at International Christian University, Japan, and an honorary associate professor at The University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on community resilience, youth mental health, and boredom, bridging theory and practice through technology-based interventions and public engagement to enhance societal well-being. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10. This year’s theme is workplace mental health, which emphasises its importance for not only individuals but also organisations and communities. Hongkongers work some of the longest hours compared to other developed economies, leaving people with little time to rest, let alone enjoy leisure. Furthermore, according to Oxfam Hong Kong’s latest poverty report, over 200,000 working poor live in our city, more than half of whom are employed... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3281440/hong-kong-must-ditch-work-hard-now-pay-health-later-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3281440/hong-kong-must-ditch-work-hard-now-pay-health-later-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Oct 2024 01:30:08 +0000 We are in the third month of social unrest in Hong Kong. Although the crisis is political, many psychological processes have contributed to its evolution. We’ll just highlight a few here. First, polarisation, dehumanisation and radicalisation. We’ve seen rapid polarisation and escalation in both the physical force and rhetoric used by police and protesters. Society has been divided into police and protesters, black shirts and white shirts, or blue ribbons and yellow ribbons – a legacy of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3023296/angry-fearful-hong-kong-needs-call-truce-and-get-some-sleep-even-if?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3023296/angry-fearful-hong-kong-needs-call-truce-and-get-some-sleep-even-if?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2019 01:00:18 +0000 A Hong Kong psychiatrist recently said in a Facebook post that some primary school children diagnosed with mild symptoms of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) were using prescribed medication – which are essentially stimulants – to enhance their attention and, in turn, their academic performance. He claimed that this was becoming a problem in some schools. Parents and others [lamented] that the exam-driven school system was turning our children into drug addicts Predictably, the post... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2068410/dont-judge-hong-kong-parents-giving-smart-pills-hyperactive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2068410/dont-judge-hong-kong-parents-giving-smart-pills-hyperactive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Feb 2017 06:22:29 +0000 We weep with the city as we learn of the tragedies of young people ending their own lives. Even one is too many, let alone 20. We, too, were once young. We can only imagine how hopeless these young souls must have felt; that they saw absolutely no other way out. READ MORE: Hong Kong’s Students of the Year past and present discuss youth suicide, academic achievement and the pursuit of excellence The needs of adolescents are often neglected. They have neither the attention-getting cuteness of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1924587/hong-kong-too-many-young-lives-are-being-cut-short-loss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1924587/hong-kong-too-many-young-lives-are-being-cut-short-loss?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2016 07:54:13 +0000 The Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) is generating heated debate among politicians and parents alike. The arguments on both sides have validity, but all stakeholders should prioritise the many needs of the true beneficiary of their decisions – our children. We are concerned that structured schooling and assessment exercises come at the expense of time for sleep, rest and play. The importance of sleep and play in a child’s neurocognitive and psychosocial development has been shown... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1888985/hong-kong-parents-allow-your-children-time-rest-and-play-if?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1888985/hong-kong-parents-allow-your-children-time-rest-and-play-if?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2015 09:01:03 +0000