Social News
Written by: Li Enci
2020-08-06 14:32
Last update date: 2020-08-06 14:38When the anti-amendment law turmoil last year was not over, the new crown pneumonia has hit Hong Kong since the beginning of this year, and the social atmosphere is heavy. The Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, surveyed over 10,000 citizens. Among the respondents, more than 70% and 40% of the respondents had moderate to high symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression; 36% There are also two symptoms of mental health problems. Young people aged 24 or below have more severe symptoms than those over 25.
Chen Youkai, head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Li Ka-shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, who is in charge of the research, said that if the external pressure has been resolved, the public’s stress response will continue for more than one month and cannot be separated at all, so you need to seek professional assistance.
▼In the third wave, the government has extended the restrictions on gatherings and banned food in the evening market.▼
+9
+8
+7
The team collected information from more than 11,000 citizens in the form of online questionnaires from February to July this year. The survey found that more than seven adults have moderate to high levels of depression, while more than four adults have moderate to high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms. At the same time, 36% of the respondents have both symptoms of the above mental health problems.
Chen Youkai, dean of the Department of Psychiatry at the Li Ka-shing School of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, said that the occurrence of the situation is a warning sign, which is more serious and difficult to deal with. The situation of Hong Kong's social events is repeated, coupled with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of Hong Kong people is being challenged by diversified incidents, and there is not much relevant experience in various countries in the past. Many people assume that the trauma is only one-off, and the post-traumatic stress is like a post-disaster retrospective. However, there is no post-disaster situation in Hong Kong so far, and no end point can be seen.
The epidemic, social events, and personal pressure have accumulated three times
Chen Youkai explained that there are three sources of stress for the average person, and they will have a cumulative effect, that is, every time they experience one more thing, they will increase their symptoms. First of all, the pressure will be related to the epidemic, including working in a high-risk environment, insufficient initial epidemic prevention materials, and inconvenience to life caused by the epidemic. Many people are also worried about the future due to the impact of the epidemic on the economy and industry development.
The second source of stress involves individuals, such as academic and career failures, and emotional problems. Chen Youkai pointed out that since last year's social incidents, there has been an increase in people's discord with family or friends. He believes that it is likely to be related to changes in the social environment and political positions.
The third category is the pressure caused by social incidents. The most serious situation is that the victim is directly attacked, subjected to sexual violence, etc., followed by arrest, detention, speech injury, and even being dispersed by force, or seeing others being attacked. Chen said that the more direct the experience of the event, the higher the degree of post-traumatic stress and depression.
The survey also found that young people aged 24 or below have symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress, which are more serious than those over 25. Chen Youkai explained that young people are exposed to more traumatic social events, and they are particularly focused on concepts such as ideals, identity, and meaning of life. These years have faced major challenges. In addition, young people’s brains are at a developmental stage, which poses a greater risk to mental health. He advises young people to master the controllable matters in life, such as friendship, studies, interests, etc., and avoid being too focused on uncontrollable events.
Chen Youkai said that with the repeated social incidents and the ongoing new crown pneumonia epidemic, diverse incidents challenge the mental health of the population. (Zoom screenshot)
Chen Youkai continued that the symptoms of 55% of the respondents in the survey were "stress reactions," such as transient insomnia and loss of appetite. They can relieve the situation by withdrawing from the incident, but it does not mean illness. However, the pressure caused by the epidemic and social incidents continues, and people who are depressed for a long time may develop diseases. If the external pressure has been resolved, and the stress response in the public continues for more than a month, and it is completely impossible to withdraw, you need to seek professional assistance.
He pointed out that the mental health work of the government and the social welfare and medical industry is not easy. He frankly said that social events have greatly reduced the trust of the public in the government. Citizens suffering from severe mental distress may have participated in social movements or been arrested, and they dare not seek medical treatment at all. He suggested that the government and service organizations must rebuild the public's confidence and protect the privacy of patients in the long run.
New crown pneumonia | Foreign domestic helpers insist on leaving early and returning to the Employers’ Association during holidays: some employers are mentally weak
Female prisoner for riot crime assaults staff in Siu Lam Psychiatric Center
Huang Renlong: Hong Kong people's mental health cannot be separated from political issues, call for more listening to resolve emotional crisis
Psychiatric Mental Health Hong Kong University Faculty of Medicine
