Hong Kong must not fail pupils in need of mental health support
- The well-being of our next generation hangs in the balance unless more resources are devoted to schools
More disturbing evidence has emerged to illustrate the urgent need for the city to better support young people struggling to cope with life challenges.
A citywide survey found nearly one in four children and adolescents had at least one mental health disorder in 2023 and over 8 per cent of secondary school pupils considered suicide.
Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) researchers who did the government-commissioned survey said the results released on November 29 were “on the higher end” of troubling global trends.
Professor Sandra Chan Sau-man of the university’s department of psychiatry described the city as “very complex” and “highly stressful” for kids”.
Last Wednesday, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin told lawmakers the number of suspected suicide cases among Hong Kong primary and secondary school pupils had increased to 31 in the first 11 months of this year.
Hong Kong records 31 suspected pupil suicides in 2023, double 2018 figure
The figure is more than double the figure recorded in the whole of 2018, before students faced pressures related to 2019 social unrest and the onset of the pandemic that closed classrooms.
Now, as they scramble to catch up and readjust, other influences such as social media and often related bullying only pile on the pressure.
One in 10 respondents reported clinically significant sleep issues, the CUHK survey found. Some 10.2 per cent had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Smaller proportions had disruptive impulse control, conduct disorders and depressive disorders.
However, nearly 50 per cent of parents were unwilling to seek professional help despite seeing evidence of problems in their children.
Some cited a fear of stigma and a lack of knowledge on how to seek help, an obstacle that only underscores the need for schools to offer support.
Authorities recently launched a new initiative to help schools identify secondary students with mental health needs and refer serious cases for professional help.
But Paul Yip, the head of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said the two-month emergency system will do little to prevent student suicides in the long run.
The former chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, Wong Yan-lung, has called for government measures to ensure teachers have more time to prioritise the mental health of their students.
Needed resources must get to schools quickly and more mental health professionals should be recruited. Failure is no option when the well-being of our next generation hangs in the balance.
