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More than 1 in 20 Hongkongers showing signs of clinical depression

HONG KONG — Hongkongers’ depression levels have reached record highs, signalling serious cause for concern, a new study found.

Bloomberg file photo

Bloomberg file photo

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HONG KONG — Hongkongers’ depression levels have reached record highs, signalling serious cause for concern, a new study found.

Around 5.5 per cent of 2,351 people surveyed by the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong — a non-profit funded largely by the government — exhibited signs of clinical depression, almost double the number reported in 2014.

An additional 9.1 per cent of respondents scored at a medium level on the depression index, indicating they should be monitored for depression, up from 8.6 per cent in 2014.

These findings follow the chief executive’s policy address on Wednesday (Dec 18), which included the establishment of a standing advisory committee to “review and follow up the development of mental health services”.

Depression is the mental health condition with the highest risk of suicide, according to the non-profit, and 8.9 per cent of those surveyed reported suicidal thoughts a few times or more within the past two weeks.

While the non-profit said there was no definitive explanation for increased depression levels, they pointed to societal changes as a possible driver.

Changes since the survey was last conducted in 2014, during the Occupy movement, could be a factor, according to Mr Ching Chi-kong, an assistant director at the city’s Mental Health Association.

“At that time, people had somewhere to express their anger and they may have hoped to make change,” he said. “If we think we have lost something, we will get depressed more easily.”

Last year, there were also various political changes, Mr Ching noted, referencing the oath-taking saga that ousted two democratically elected lawmakers.

“The environment and the society, the atmosphere, they affect everyone,” Dr Benjamin Lai, psychiatrist and chairman of the Mental Health Association, said. “There is a high chance of an increase in depressive symptoms if there are some changes in the society, for example, economic downturn.”

In addition to depressive thoughts, the study also found participants were engaging in minimal exercise, with 35.8 per cent saying they did not exercise for at least 30 minutes at all during the week, and 18.1 per cent reporting to do so once a week.

The majority of those surveyed, 60.1 per cent, spent half an hour to 2 hours engaged in leisure activities on weekdays.

“We need a balance of life, not just money or work,” Mr Ching said. “We need to (have) concern about our family, our leisure, our work and our friendship.”

One woman said she began experiencing shifts in her mood, including feeling emotional and worthless, after surgery in 2007. When she threatened to jump off the 20-storey apartment she shared with her husband, she sought help from a mental health facility, and now uses exercise to help keep her mood positive.

“Now not only has my blood pressure improved, but my mood is more positive as well,” she said. “Every day I focus on accumulating small joys, in order to make my life better.”

Hong Kong needs to increase education and awareness about mental health, according to Dr Lai and Mr Ching.

The city’s Hospital Authority estimated around 1.7 million Hongkongers suffer from various mental illnesses, while waiting times for mental health treatment were the longest of all public health services.

While the amount of resources to tackle the issue is “never sufficient,” Mr Ching said, it is better than before, with an integrated community centre for mental wellness (ICCMW) introduced in every city district in 2010.

The government should work with non-government organisations and other concerned bodies to establish long-term policies for resource allocation and development of civil services, he said.

“Mental health should be put up at a higher order at the policy,” Dr Lai said. “Obviously we lack resources – the whole health system lacks services.” SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

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