https://www.scmp.com/rss/331054/feed The latest mental health news including well-being, depression, mindfulness and mental health resources. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Just before the holidays in 2025, Julie Hart felt stuck. A nagging problem she had struggled with for years left her ruminating all day and questioning nearly everything she had ever said, done or could do. She was considering traditional therapy but decided instead to try single-session counselling. Rather than committing to weekly therapy sessions, she would get only 60 minutes to tackle the problem. It worked. “It helped me get unstuck, is how I would describe it, in a very positive,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349215/just-one-hour-how-single-therapy-session-can-help-you-overcome-problem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349215/just-one-hour-how-single-therapy-session-can-help-you-overcome-problem?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The upcoming Asian Professional Negotiators Network Conference in Hong Kong, scheduled for mid-April, marks a vital milestone for regional public safety. More than just a professional exchange, this event is a catalyst for a critical conversation about how we integrate law... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3349315/policy-support-needed-create-asia-specific-mental-health-safety-nets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3349315/policy-support-needed-create-asia-specific-mental-health-safety-nets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 86th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. I was startled by a comment from a friend recently: she told me that she almost never uses the internet. I work, cook, shop and walk listening to podcasts. I read the news online each morning. I use the internet to research, find supper recipes, search for new books to read and download the latest episodes of favourite radio shows. The trace of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348949/why-internet-use-can-actually-lower-your-dementia-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348949/why-internet-use-can-actually-lower-your-dementia-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The day that Taiki Hirokawa stabbed his former girlfriend to death in a Pokemon store in Tokyo had started like any other, his mother told police. She and her son had breakfast together and nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Hours later, security camera footage caught 26-year-old Hirokawa walking straight into the store, pulling out a knife, going behind the counter where Moe Harukawa, 21, was serving customers, and repeatedly slashing her in the neck and chest before turning the knife on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348976/japans-knife-crime-wave-lays-bare-tragic-cost-youth-mental-burnout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348976/japans-knife-crime-wave-lays-bare-tragic-cost-youth-mental-burnout?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng The head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese has urged the government to offer young offenders a “second chance to start anew” and to introduce legal provisions to help those with minor criminal records pursue their careers. In his Easter message on Thursday, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan also encouraged authorities to reduce the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) so that educators could have more time and space to better support students, amid persistently high youth suicide rates. “I call on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348768/hong-kongs-top-catholic-priest-calls-young-offenders-get-second-chance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348768/hong-kongs-top-catholic-priest-calls-young-offenders-get-second-chance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:34:24 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan In the second of a series on challenges facing Hong Kong’s growing autistic population, Anthea Rowan examines the complexities of the autism spectrum, from the latest gut-health research to the move from awareness towards acceptance. While at university studying psychology and theatre, Dr Amanda Oswalt Visher worked with a three-year-old non-speaking autistic boy at an early childhood intervention centre. She noticed his movements were not random but followed a consistent pattern. To communicate... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348374/what-autism-understanding-spectrum-gut-brain-connection-masking-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348374/what-autism-understanding-spectrum-gut-brain-connection-masking-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu A knife-wielding attacker with suspected mental illness who was shot twice by police in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung has died after 10 days in hospital in a critical condition. The government on Tuesday confirmed the 43-year-old suspect, surnamed Chung, was pronounced dead at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung at 8.47pm on Monday. The incident occurred in the early hours of March 21 at the Kwai Chung section of Castle Peak Road, when three officers fired five rounds in total at the construction... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348463/knife-wielding-man-shot-hong-kong-police-dies-after-10-days-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348463/knife-wielding-man-shot-hong-kong-police-dies-after-10-days-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:05:37 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong (MAIHK) and Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) latest survey is a wake-up call: 43.5 per cent of Gen Z respondents reported moderate to severe depression. Researchers also found a positive correlation between screen time and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3348107/start-early-connect-deeply-addressing-gen-zs-mental-health-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3348107/start-early-connect-deeply-addressing-gen-zs-mental-health-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 03:30:09 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong authorities have insisted that a three-hour time limit is sufficient for residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court to retrieve their belongings, with discretion to be exercised for those requesting a second entry. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Saturday that although each household could register up to four people to enter the building, only one person would be allowed into severely damaged flats owing to safety concerns. “With four people and three hours... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348242/hong-kong-defends-3-hour-limit-wang-fuk-court-residents-collect-belongings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348242/hong-kong-defends-3-hour-limit-wang-fuk-court-residents-collect-belongings?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 07:47:49 +0000 Aidyn Fitzpatrick Aidyn Fitzpatrick Elise Phillipson was 45 when she returned to university, on what she calls her “second or third life”. She had first studied hotel management; as a nine-year-old growing up in Hong Kong, she asked her father what she should be, and he suggested she work in a hotel. In adulthood, she retrained as an English teacher, married and raised two children. By the time her youngest started primary school, she found herself wondering again what occupation was right for her. Her husband urged her to look at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347949/therapy-coaching-perfect-midlife-career-change-how-many-are-finding-new-purpose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347949/therapy-coaching-perfect-midlife-career-change-how-many-are-finding-new-purpose?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters A powerful scene ⁠in the action epic Gladiator II (2024) has a problem: a camera crew is visible behind Paul Mescal as his character prepares for a high-stakes battle. Jack Zimmerman, a visual effects artist, erases the intrusion. Zimmerman works at Exceptional Minds, an American non-profit vocational academy and visual effects studio for adults with autism. The organisation provides training to help autistic artists launch careers in the competitive world of Hollywood. “It feels like a dream,”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347843/how-california-studio-helping-autistic-artists-break-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347843/how-california-studio-helping-autistic-artists-break-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:15:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A young Chinese woman lives in a nursing home and pays just 200 yuan (US$30) in rent a month in exchange for offering companionship to the elderly. The life choice of 25-year-old Zhang Jin reveals a new pattern for young people to live under less pressure while helping out with the country’s problem of an increasingly ageing population. Over two years ago, Zhang, a new graduate from eastern China’s Jiangxi province, moved to Suzhou in eastern Jiangsu province when she found a job there. Around... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347157/china-woman-lives-nursing-home-pays-us30-rent-providing-companionship-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3347157/china-woman-lives-nursing-home-pays-us30-rent-providing-companionship-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:00:08 +0000 Rina Lai Rina Lai For most of my career in developmental and educational psychology, I have been guided by a single question: what do children truly need to flourish in the world they are entering? I don’t mean the world their parents inherited or the one textbooks were designed for, but the one unfolding – volatile, technology-saturated and deeply uncertain. Eight years ago, during my PhD studies at the University of Cambridge, I was certain I was close to finding the answer; I immersed myself in building... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347072/case-spiritual-wellness-age-anxious-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347072/case-spiritual-wellness-age-anxious-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found social media giant Meta liable for endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators on its platforms and other dangers. The verdict came after roughly a day of deliberations following a six-week trial in which the state accused Facebook and Instagram’s parent company of failing to protect minors from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking. The state had sought the maximum US$2.2 billion in damages, but the jury awarded a lesser... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347773/meta-ordered-pay-us375-million-over-child-exploitation-and-user-safety-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347773/meta-ordered-pay-us375-million-over-child-exploitation-and-user-safety-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:10:00 +0000 dpa dpa Inaccurate social media posts about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been linked to a rise in young people believing they have neurodevelopmental conditions, an expert has said after a study highlighted the levels of misinformation online. Researchers say their findings present a “clear need for action” for more high-quality information to be shared on social media and “strengthened content moderation”. Experts from the UK’s University of East Anglia (UEA) and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347528/many-adhd-autism-tiktok-videos-are-inaccurate-study-claims-leading-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347528/many-adhd-autism-tiktok-videos-are-inaccurate-study-claims-leading-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 85th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. As an erratic sleeper, I worry when I see a headline such as this recent one from Science News: “Poor sleep may account for a large share of dementia cases.” That headline topped an article about a recent study of older adults in the US. It found that about 13 per cent of dementia cases may have roots in insomnia, and that poor sleep may be as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347263/how-poor-sleep-can-increase-dementia-risk-and-what-know-about-links?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347263/how-poor-sleep-can-increase-dementia-risk-and-what-know-about-links?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson While aeroplane cockpits may be more hi-tech than ever and commercial flying is safer than ever, the fear of flying remains a stubborn hurdle for many. Commercial flying is statistically the safest mode of transport by far and it has become steadily safer each decade since the 1960s, according to research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yet as many as 40 per cent of people in developed countries grapple with some form of aviophobia – a clinical anxiety that turns a flight into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347025/how-overcome-your-fear-flying-flight-anxiety-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347025/how-overcome-your-fear-flying-flight-anxiety-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press With a gut-wrenching wail that rippled from her body, Amber Walcker joined about a dozen screaming people in Seattle, in the US state of Washington, who let their frustrations float away over the water. It was just the start. The two group screams that followed, each one longer and more intense, released the pain from Walcker’s recent job loss. Her added stress from raising two young children dissolved, and a deep sense of calm descended upon her. “I had such a sense of feeling grounded. In that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3347001/feeling-stressed-let-it-out-literally-scream-clubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3347001/feeling-stressed-let-it-out-literally-scream-clubs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa On World Obesity Day, March 4, Hong Kong launched its first three-year action plan on weight management targeting rising obesity rates. Citing a Report of Population Health Survey 2020–22 conducted by the Department of Health, the government noted that over 50 per cent of Hong Kong’s adult population is overweight or obese based on their Body Mass Index. “It’s heartening to see the government taking steps to build a healthy community that promotes nutrition education and regular exercise,” said... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3347273/hong-kong-governments-plan-answer-obesity-or-eating-disorder-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3347273/hong-kong-governments-plan-answer-obesity-or-eating-disorder-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:15:12 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang An emerging form of therapy in China has stirred controversy over blurred boundaries by using sensory tools, touch and hugging to ease clients’ stress. Mainland media reports say workshops and services centred on “intimate touch” have spread across social media since late last year. In quiet, softly lit rooms, intimate touch therapists offer what they describe as emotional healing through light caresses, hugs and sensory tools such as feathers and velvet gloves. Customers typically remove some... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346899/intimate-touch-therapists-spark-china-debate-using-sensory-objects-hugs-help-clients-relax?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346899/intimate-touch-therapists-spark-china-debate-using-sensory-objects-hugs-help-clients-relax?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:00:09 +0000 dpa dpa Meditation is widely seen as an effective way to reduce stress, focus your mind and manage symptoms of some health conditions, among other things. All you have to do is sit quietly, close your eyes and be suffused with inner calm, right? Well, not quite. Two experts explain how to get off to a good start, though, and why almost everyone can benefit from meditation and its cousin, mindfulness. Meditation is an ancient practice of focusing one’s attention on the present moment to achieve a state... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347114/how-meditate-find-type-suits-you-and-dont-expect-enlightenment-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347114/how-meditate-find-type-suits-you-and-dont-expect-enlightenment-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Chan Charmaine Chan “Beauty is only skin deep.” That proverb has championed inner qualities so successfully that outward appearance is often dismissed as superficial. In architecture, that assumption is harder to sustain. Around the world, increasingly loud calls are being made for an end to buildings deemed boring, if not outright ugly, on the outside. But what does that mean? Who decides? And why should we care? For months, these questions led me down a rabbit hole that seemed to circle back on itself. That was... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3347097/have-architects-built-boredom-our-streetscapes-and-can-it-harm-our-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/design-interiors/article/3347097/have-architects-built-boredom-our-streetscapes-and-can-it-harm-our-health?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:00:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and western Europe according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published on Thursday. The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found that Finland was the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row, with other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347092/worlds-happiest-places-revealed-social-media-weighs-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347092/worlds-happiest-places-revealed-social-media-weighs-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:17:39 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu Joe*, a 20-year-old Hong Kong student, began seeking emotional support for dating advice, family relationships and stress management a few months ago to ease his anxieties. He asked questions during his commute to school, while studying in the evening and even when he could not sleep late at night. His go-to chatbot: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which he accesses through the artificial intelligence (AI) aggregator app, Poe. “To a certain extent, AI may know me better than my friends,” Joe said. Joe is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346592/ai-may-know-me-better-why-hongkongers-turn-chatbots-mental-health-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346592/ai-may-know-me-better-why-hongkongers-turn-chatbots-mental-health-help?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 01:00:12 +0000 Grace Brewer Grace Brewer If menopause was once the conversation no one in Hong Kong had, now it’s the one everyone’s trying to join. Thanks to a new wave of femtech founders who aim to give women the language – and data – to break the silence on the once-taboo topic, the shift is being fuelled by a bevy of new at-home tests and apps that help women decode the “fog” of mysterious midlife symptoms. For many women, that fog rolls in long before their final period. Perimenopause, the transitional stage that precedes... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3346069/how-femtech-founders-are-changing-menopause-conversation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/wellness/article/3346069/how-femtech-founders-are-changing-menopause-conversation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 23:00:11 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung The Hong Kong Red Cross has raised HK$530 million (US$67.8 million) to provide emergency and long-term support to residents affected by the deadly Tai Po fire, with the NGO expecting all its relief and recovery efforts to be finished in five years. More than three months on from the Wang Fuk Court blaze that killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000, the group said on Thursday that it had ended its donation drive. It also pledged to spend no more than 5 per cent of the funds on administrative... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346133/tai-po-fire-hong-kong-red-cross-raises-hk530-million-affected-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346133/tai-po-fire-hong-kong-red-cross-raises-hk530-million-affected-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:10:27 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 84th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. I did not recognise the signs of dementia developing in mum – the changes in her walking, her frequent need to urinate, her difficulty in swallowing – until quite late. Looking back, I see how they developed one after another. Nearly 80 per cent of all dementias are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The hallmark of this is the abnormal deposit of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345912/dementia-can-be-hard-spot-signs-pay-attention-trouble-eating-fitful-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345912/dementia-can-be-hard-spot-signs-pay-attention-trouble-eating-fitful-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Megan Worthy still recalls singing in a choir in the Australian capital, Canberra, as she was growing up. Now, as a rare form of early-onset dementia chips away at her vision and other brain functions, the 58-year-old is transported back to her musical youth as she and her daughter, Bronte, sing together with other people with neurological conditions in an Amsterdam concert hall, the Concertgebouw. “It’s pretty brutal,” Worthy said of her rare neurological condition. “I’m starting to lose... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345892/singing-circle-amsterdam-offers-benefits-dementia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345892/singing-circle-amsterdam-offers-benefits-dementia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:07:17 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service At the dawn of 2026, social media influencers proclaimed it the year of the “analogue lifestyle”, a call to reduce digital connectivity as smart tech and screen time dominate a person’s attention span. Selly Tan, an influencer from California, says people are “craving something real again” and vowed to print her photos, read more books and magazines, and take up hobbies that do not need Wi-fi. Rosie Okatcha, an influencer from the United Kingdom, proclaimed the year would be “The Age of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3345536/craving-something-real-why-people-are-going-analogue-and-cutting-digital-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3345536/craving-something-real-why-people-are-going-analogue-and-cutting-digital-use?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Paul Yip,Raymond Lap-Ming Tang,Isabel Chau Paul Yip,Raymond Lap-Ming Tang,Isabel Chau Hong Kong’s new budget is positioned to foster high-quality, inclusive growth through innovation and finance. Ahead of projections, a surplus of HK$2.9 billion (US$370.8 million) is now expected, largely due to the stronger-than-expected stock market and tax receipts. Reflecting a sound fiscal approach and forward thinking, the 2026-27 budget will maintain an operating surplus and allocate about 60 per cent of recurrent spending to vital sectors such as health, social welfare and education. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3345183/why-hong-kong-must-make-mental-health-immediate-economic-priority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3345183/why-hong-kong-must-make-mental-health-immediate-economic-priority?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000 dpa dpa There are many disadvantages to getting older. One of them is poor sleep. But although there are many reasons sleep may deteriorate as you age, it does not have to be that way. “Fundamentally, your sleep doesn’t have to change in your sixties or seventies, but circumstances tend to create a lot more vulnerability around that ageing point,” says Jason Ellis, a professor and director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. “A lot of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345428/why-poor-sleep-not-unavoidable-we-get-older?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345428/why-poor-sleep-not-unavoidable-we-get-older?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung One in three Hong Kong adults have moderate to severe symptoms of depression, almost triple the rate from 2012, with Generation Z respondents who spent a lot of time on screens affected the most, a survey has found. The biennial study, conducted by the Mental Health Association NGO and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), also found that 22 per cent of the 2,700 adult respondents turned to AI chatbots to manage their stress, which experts on Thursday described as “risky” as this could... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3345606/warning-over-screen-time-and-chatbots-number-depressed-hits-record-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3345606/warning-over-screen-time-and-chatbots-number-depressed-hits-record-high?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:45:15 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Google is facing a lawsuit from the family of a 36-year-old Florida man who allegedly considered carrying out a “mass casualty attack” and ultimately killed himself under the influence of the company’s Gemini chatbot. According to a suit filed on Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, California, Jonathan Gavalas began using Gemini for ordinary purposes like help with his writing. But two months of interactions sent him into a dangerous spiral, during which he scoped out a possible violent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345481/googles-gemini-ai-chatbot-accused-coaching-us-man-suicide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345481/googles-gemini-ai-chatbot-accused-coaching-us-man-suicide?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:16:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US man who gave his teenage son the gun he is accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday. Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. Gray is one of a number of parents prosecuted after their children were accused in fatal shootings across the country. Colin Gray... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345323/dad-who-gave-gun-us-school-shooting-suspect-found-guilty-second-degree-murder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345323/dad-who-gave-gun-us-school-shooting-suspect-found-guilty-second-degree-murder?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:26:57 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan An increasing number of young people in China have, in recent years, begun to reject the previous generation’s tendency to flaunt wealth and success. Instead, they are embracing a new trend known as “reverse comparison” concerning income and struggles. Rather than pursuing branded or high-end products, Generation Z, who were born around the year 2000, are opting for affordable items and competing with their peers over who can achieve the highest cost-effectiveness with their purchases. Two years... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345223/china-youth-share-struggles-instead-flaunting-wealth-embrace-comparing-misery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3345223/china-youth-share-struggles-instead-flaunting-wealth-embrace-comparing-misery?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong man has admitted killing his mother in a public rental flat four years ago under the delusion that she was a “monster lizard” who had pretended to be his family. Wong Chun-kit, 28, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility, after prosecutors acknowledged he had suffered a relapse of schizoaffective disorder that substantially reduced his culpability in what was originally classified as a murder case. The High Court heard that Wong, who was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345242/mentally-ill-hongkonger-admits-killing-mother-he-mistook-monster-lizard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345242/mentally-ill-hongkonger-admits-killing-mother-he-mistook-monster-lizard?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:40:42 +0000 Erica Fong Erica Fong From the classroom to the parent-teacher meeting, when it comes to achievement, one question persists: is a child’s potential written in their genes, or can it be boosted by education? The debate around nature versus nurture is especially pertinent in the context of Hong Kong’s high-stakes academic milieu – one in which students may find themselves on a predetermined track in science or the arts, regardless of their own preferences or natural talents. Experts agree that a child’s potential is... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3345153/nature-versus-nurture-unlocking-potential-hong-kongs-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/article/3345153/nature-versus-nurture-unlocking-potential-hong-kongs-children?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 09:56:50 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu Hong Kong hit a record low in births last year despite a range of government incentives, including a HK$20,000 (US$2,560) baby cash bonus for new parents launched in 2023. Just 31,714 babies were born last year. This might have come as a surprise for the authorities, which had projected a rise to 39,000 births. So was the baby bonus worth the try? Yes, if we can draw insight from the experience. To be fair, it wasn’t the only thing the government had done to encourage babies. It rolled out tax... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3344937/hong-kong-cant-raise-its-birth-rate-without-easing-education-stress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3344937/hong-kong-cant-raise-its-birth-rate-without-easing-education-stress?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:30:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Child protection has been strengthened after a new law mandating welfare, education and medical professionals to report suspected abuse came into effect in Hong Kong last month. Welcome as it is, the additional safeguard only helps identify cases for early intervention. For child abuse cases to be kept to a minimum, the problem needs to be tackled at the root. One way is to better understand why some parents still resort to force and other forms of abuse in child-rearing. The issue was put into... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3344854/deeper-solution-child-abuse-lies-breaking-vicious-cycles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3344854/deeper-solution-child-abuse-lies-breaking-vicious-cycles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:15:14 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson A conference’s last session before lunch is usually the time to covertly check your phone and run some digital errands, while trying to stifle yawns. But that was not the case at the Global Wellness Summit’s recent event in New York to launch its annual trends report. Attendees were urged to get to their feet, turn to their neighbour, hold their gaze for several minutes, take their hands and say: “I love you.” Next came the rave. On stage, former dancer Luuk Melisse, founder of the mindful... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344686/why-wild-health-raves-will-be-one-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344686/why-wild-health-raves-will-be-one-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A second British island voted on Thursday to approve assisted dying, as a similar bill that would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives is bogged down in the British parliament. The bill, which requires the formality of approval by King Charles, would allow terminally ill residents who have lived in Jersey for more than a year and are expected to have less than six months to live – or less than 12 months if they have a neurodegenerative disease – to end... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344783/jersey-votes-approve-assisted-dying-similar-uk-bill-stalls-house-lords?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344783/jersey-votes-approve-assisted-dying-similar-uk-bill-stalls-house-lords?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:47:15 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Mui Thomas is, by any measure, a remarkable woman. Now 33, she is believed to be the world’s fourth-oldest survivor of Harlequin ichthyosis. This extremely rare genetic disorder causes the body to be covered with thick plates of skin – a condition so severe that when Mui was born in Hong Kong in 1992, it was considered universally fatal. She has survived medical emergencies that would have killed lesser fighters. Despite her ongoing health struggles, she has become a rugby coach, a certified... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:00:10 +0000 Carolina Malis Carolina Malis There was a time when a warm bath and a lavender candle represented the height of bedtime preparation. Now, we’ve gone all elemental: swirling magnesium into mocktails, rubbing it onto our calves, frothing it into hot chocolate and counting out gummies like rosary beads. But does the mineral actually help anyone sleep better? Of course, we’ve been tossing and turning over sleep for years: tracking it, hacking it, catastrophising about it – so when TikTok entered its cosy-wellness era, magnesium... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/wellness/article/3344472/magnesium-can-help-you-sleep-check-dose-and-most-effective-way-take-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/beauty/wellness/article/3344472/magnesium-can-help-you-sleep-check-dose-and-most-effective-way-take-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Social media addiction has been compared to addiction to casinos, opioids and cigarettes. While there is some debate among experts about the line between overuse and addiction, and whether social media can cause the latter, there is no doubt that many people feel like they cannot escape the pull of Instagram, Snapchat, RedNote and other platforms. The companies that designed your favourite apps have an incentive to keep you glued to them: they can serve up ads that make them billions of dollars... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344332/are-you-addicted-social-media-how-recognise-it-and-deal-your-non-stop-scrolling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344332/are-you-addicted-social-media-how-recognise-it-and-deal-your-non-stop-scrolling?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 83rd instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. Doing “brain training” tests can make me a bit nervous. The anxiety triggers silly mistakes, and then “poor” results make me more anxious – especially when they are dementia tests. What if I fail, or my score points to a suboptimal brain response? I am also suspicious of them: how could an online test measure brain response accurately, and – even more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344094/what-best-brain-training-test-reduce-dementia-risk-study-examines-various-types?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344094/what-best-brain-training-test-reduce-dementia-risk-study-examines-various-types?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson In summer 2023, Oliver Rolfe was at breaking point. On the face of it, he had it all. In his early forties, he was a happily married father of two and the founder of a successful global headhunting business. He did not realise, though, that he was on the brink of burnout. “In hindsight, I can see how it all unravelled,” he says from his home in London. “I had always loved work, but it was a balance with sport and socialising.” After hurting his back 10 years ago, he could not play football –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343972/how-burnout-brought-ceo-breaking-point-what-signs-are-and-how-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343972/how-burnout-brought-ceo-breaking-point-what-signs-are-and-how-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang Once, young people in China were obsessed with emulating trendy lifestyles, attending parties, enjoying fine dining and treating consumption as a social currency. But as this fast-paced lifestyle became the norm, many began to feel exhausted. In response, a quieter, more traditional way of living has surfaced, and the young people have started calling themselves “old-school humans”. Last December, some people began sharing stories on social media about spending time with their grandparents at... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343202/china-youth-ditch-fast-living-become-old-school-humans-stories-get-1-billion-views-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3343202/china-youth-ditch-fast-living-become-old-school-humans-stories-get-1-billion-views-online?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man who fatally beat four sleeping men on the streets of New York’s Chinatown was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday, with a jury rejecting his insanity defence in the 2019 rampage. Randy Santos’ lawyers had conceded that he pummelled the defenceless victims – Chuen Kok, Anthony Manson, Florencio Moran and Nazario Vasquez Villegas – with a metal bar and meant to kill them. But Santos’ lawyers contended that he was too mentally ill to be held criminally responsible. They said he was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344050/us-man-found-guilty-beating-4-death-chinatown-including-hk-migrant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344050/us-man-found-guilty-beating-4-death-chinatown-including-hk-migrant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 20:41:56 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Seeing is believing, right? Well … perhaps not. In the early 1700s, the philosopher Bishop Berkeley pointed out that we never experience the outside world directly – we only experience what our sense perceptions tell us about that world. We assume that our sense perceptions realistically portray the outside world and provide us with accurate information about it. So if we see a cat, we think that the cat exists pretty much as we see it. While this is a good – and necessary – assumption for going... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343800/why-your-brain-forces-your-senses-perceive-reality-fit-preconceived-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343800/why-your-brain-forces-your-senses-perceive-reality-fit-preconceived-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:15:09 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Anna Lee*, a Hongkonger in her forties, first realised the profound impact of the violence she experienced as a child when she became a mother herself. As she raised her two children, now aged seven and 10, she was alarmed to find her emotional reactions mirroring the volatility of her own childhood. “I found the degree of my sudden outbursts of anger not proportionate to the things my children had done, and I struggle to manage the emotion,” she said. “That reminded me of my father losing his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343909/breaking-cycle-hong-kong-parents-wrestle-impact-their-own-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343909/breaking-cycle-hong-kong-parents-wrestle-impact-their-own-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:30:07 +0000