Letters | Mental health in Hong Kong depends on early intervention and treatment

Readers discuss the importance of making mental healthcare available and accessible, via a service model rooted in the community, and understanding and support from the wider society

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A double rainbow is seen after a rain shower in Hong Kong in June 2020. By offering help early to those with mental health challenges, we can prevent escalation and alleviate the long-term impact on both individuals and the healthcare system. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30am, 21 Jun 2023

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Recent events in Hong Kong have highlighted the very rare occasions when severe mental illness can cause the loss of life. While these events make the headlines, they in no way reflect the full reality, consequences and burden of not preventing and treating mental health problems.

Based on a survey in 2022, we estimate that one in five people in Hong Kong are experiencing clinical levels of anxiety or depression – most of them are suffering in silence, isolated by stigma, ignorance and poor access to care.

There is a significant manpower shortage in Hong Kong – there are 7.55 psychiatrists and 8.15 clinical psychologists per 100,000 persons in Hong Kong, compared to the OECD averages of 18 and 53, respectively. Waiting times for non-urgent cases can be as long as 90 weeks within the Hospital Authority system, leaving many without adequate care. There is an urgent need to improve access to mental health services.

Training new psychologists and psychiatrists is necessary, but this takes time. Making strides quickly and at the scale needed requires an innovative approach.

We thank the Advisory Committee on Mental Health for its swift action in outlining enhanced measures to support individuals with mental health needs, which include improving services at Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness and introducing a mental health support hotline to expedite access to care. These steps are important.