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Mental health

Mental health
The latest mental health news including well-being, depression, mindfulness and mental health resources.
People pay tribute to the victims of the Tai Po fire. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong fire aftermath: how victims are dealing with the psychological toll

Psychologists say encouragement from family, friends and colleagues crucial to helping residents even as government steps up mental health support.

Wellness

Explainer | On the verge of a breakdown, new mother discovers what stress really is

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Some Hong Kong fire survivors reluctant to relive horror for judge-led panel

Wellness

Why you should take up swimming after your retirement

Swimming takes pressure off joints, builds muscle strength and cardiovascular health, boosts mental health, and can improve your social life.

When compared with other low-impact activities like walking or cycling, swimming is a safer exercise for people who struggle with balance, works more muscle groups, and is something you can do all year round, one expert says. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

‘Better late than never’: Singapore parents laud curbs on phone use in schools

The city state is among countries that have stepped up measures to curb screen time and tighten social media restrictions for adolescents.

Brazil

Teen mauled to death after climbing into lion enclosure at Brazil zoo

Authorities say 19-year-old Gerson de Melo Machado, who had mental health struggles, scaled a six-metre wall to enter the enclosure.

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Britain

Why social media’s favourite fuel is Oxford University Press’ word of 2025

‘Rage bait’ – online content engineered to provoke – beat out ‘aura farming’ and ‘biohack’ to win the prize, underscoring 2025’s digital division.

A woman angrily gestures at her laptop, highlighting the negativity of social media, where “rage bait” has become widespread. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

How many steps should you walk for minimum brain health decline?

A new study suggests that walking’s potential benefits in slowing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s may begin well below 10,000 steps a day.

Switzerland

Swiss right-to-die group founder dies by assisted suicide

Ludwig Minelli, who championed freedom of choice at the end of life, died days before his 93rd birthday.

Wellness

Could magic mushrooms help us live longer? What Bryan Johnson’s test showed

Johnson’s conclusions after taking magic mushrooms are backed by findings that psychedelics could extend life by rewiring the brain and more.

Recent research suggests psilocybin, the psychedelic found in magic mushrooms, could prolong life by improving mental health, reducing oxidative stress and improving DNA repair responses. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Why this Aids charity’s Hong Kong art show smells of resilience

Aids Concern’s ‘Emanate’ exhibition features art and fragrances created by people affected by HIV and Aids that tell their stories.

Tea Arts, Network, by King Nam, is one of the pieces on show at Aids Concern’s new exhibition “Emanate”, which is taking place at Wyndham Social in Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood until December 7. Photo: Aids Concern
Singapore

Singapore ‘sharenting’: where does openness end and overexposure begin?

While sharing children’s exam results may serve to document life’s journey, it may also expose them to danger, counsellors say.

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Wellness

How to make 2026 the best year of your life? YouTuber Ali Abdaal has answers

An entrepreneur with 7.6 million followers across social media, Abdaal will share tips on subjects from careers to love at a Hong Kong talk.

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Wellness

He was once Singapore’s fastest man. Here’s how he lives a happy, healthy life

UK Shyam held Singapore’s 100-metre sprint record for 22 years. Now 49, he shares how he continues to look to improve his health span.

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UK Shyam broke Singapore’s 100-metre sprint record in 2001 and held it until 2023. At 49, he continues to sprint “to live independently and remain cognitively healthy” as he ages. Photo: msft.collective
Banking & finance

Hongkongers happy with their weight, stressed about finances and jobs: Cigna

Only 36 per cent of respondents in Hong Kong want to lose weight, below the global average of 46 per cent, according to the Cigna survey.

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Two-thirds of Hong Kong respondents in a Cigna survey said they exercised regularly to manage their weight. Photo: Dickson Lee
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Letters | Jackson Yee sets benchmark for young actors with Best Actor win

Readers laud the Chinese actor’s dedication to his craft and warn of a crisis of the mind in the age of AI.

Wellness

Why males take more risks and how to promote healthy risk-taking in teens

Experts say factors from evolution to peer pressure lead men and boys to flirt with danger. But some risk-taking is crucial.

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Wellness

A new ‘fuel tank’ approach to ageing could cut dementia risk

Intrinsic Capacity focuses on what people can and cannot do as they get older to help them make lifestyle changes to offset weaknesses.

A new approach to ageing that measures cognition, mobility, psychological health, sensory function and vital capacity might help prevent or delay dementia. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong youth

Opinion | In this Age of Disruption, the youth are feeling their way forward

Behold the rise of feelings as a social force as young people everywhere speak more openly about anxiety, fatigue and the search for meaning.

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Wellness

How climate change and extreme weather affect mental health

Typhoons, floods, soaring temperatures all take a toll on our mental well-being, but there are small steps we can take to lessen the impact.

Thailand

Asian Angle | Thailand’s youth mental health crisis is fuelled by neglect and legalised weed

Young Thais are beset by anxiety and debt – and turning to readily available cannabis to self-medicate their isolation and despair.

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Deprived of robust family or societal support, many young Thais are left to navigate stress, loneliness and relentless academic pressures alone. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Explainer | The eyes have it: how EMDR therapy can help treat stress, OCD, anxiety

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy helps the brain process negative thoughts and memories to reduce their impact.

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Pop star Miley Cyrus has sung the praises of EMDR, saying it helped her overcome crippling stage fright and panic attacks that started after the pandemic. Photo: Instagram/mileycyrus
United States

Family of Chinese man found dead in ICE facility in US files lawsuit

Relatives of Chaofeng Ge, 32, said he was isolated and desperate when he allegedly hanged himself at a Pennsylvania detention centre.

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Wellness

Learning to listen properly is a ‘quiet act of repair in a noisy world’

In her book Kiku: The Japanese Art of Good Listening, Haru Yamada issues a call to action – to be quiet and exercise active listening.

Wellness

Hong Kong Cancer Fund’s CheckMate scheme wants men to ‘check them’ and talk

The initiative launched this Movember promotes pre-emptive checks for and dialogue about male-specific cancers affecting thousands each year.

Hong Kong actor and martial artist Andrew Pong is the face of Hong Kong Cancer Fund’s CheckMate campaign, which aims to make men’s cancers “openly discussed to the same level that breast cancer is among women”. Photo: Instagram/Andrew Pong
Wellness

How Hong Kong TEDxTinHauWomen 2025’s speakers will ‘reframe’ perspectives

Speakers at this year’s event about changing mindsets include a teen with a mental health podcast and a forward-thinking TCM practitioner.

Teenage mental health podcaster Shulin Ho (left) and trauma therapist Emily Kusunoki will talk about how everyday acts can help us heal, at TEDxTinHauWomen 2025, on November 8 at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre. Photo: TEDxTinHauWomen
Wellness

Don’t man up; open up – Movember is time to talk about men’s mental health

Poor mental health is on the increase and many men are afraid to talk about it or seek help. Movember encourages troubled men to open up.

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Wellness

Why, for these cancer survivors in Hong Kong, ‘healing isn’t a solo journey’

Gallivanting group Travel with 4 Jai will share how they turn illness into strength at Eaton HK’s Consciousness Festival starting November 8.

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