After seeing more than 20 patients, with a tired body, at the end of this psychiatric clinic, I met the man who came to seek medical treatment - Ah Jin.
Written by: Dr Ng Pik Kwan, School of Mental Health, Castle Peak Hospital
"Next!" After a while, the door opened, and it wasn't Ah Jin who walked in first, but his social worker, Ye Sheng.
"Don't be afraid, let's go in!" Ye Sheng looked back and waved.
A man in his twenties lowered his head, rubbed his hands, glanced at the consultation room secretly, and followed Ye Sheng in slowly.
At first Ah Jin sat quietly with his head down, but after a few encouragements, he slowly told his story.
It turned out that the twenty-five-year-old had not stepped out of the house for seven years.
In the third year of secondary school, the taciturn Ah Jin met "change", several classmates of his life.
They said he was skinny and wanted to help him with "hell training", and just like that, Ah Jin became the target of their bullying.
Every day they stepped into the classroom, they would snatch Ah Jin's schoolbag, dump all the contents on the ground, punch and kick him, sometimes beat him with a chair, and ask him why he didn't fight back.
School bullying can lead to depression.
The other students didn't dare to make a sound when they saw it, and even slowly distanced themselves from him for fear of getting into trouble.
Ah-jin tried to play truancy, but was scolded for days by his parents when they found out.
He didn't want to talk to anyone about the bullying, so he kept going to school with a lot of trepidation.
He was beaten with his head in his arms every day, and he reluctantly hid in the corner of the classroom silently. When he came home from school, he was scolded by his parents, saying that his grades were backward.
He really wanted to persevere, but in fact he was already very tired physically and mentally. Sometimes when he saw the bruises on his body in the silent night, he couldn't control the tears that he desperately held back every day, and he burst into tears.
He finally survived the three years of high school and completed the public exam, and finally he can leave that terrifying place.
But because he was too afraid to meet those classmates again, he chose to be a "hidden youth", hiding in his room every day, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
His parents never cared about him or asked him why he stayed at home all day. They just blamed him for being useless and scolded him for failure every day.
He's been like this for seven years. During these seven years, he hasn't been happy for a moment. Every day, he thinks of being bullied, blaming himself for being useless, and even thinking about committing suicide...
One day, he accidentally saw a program about "Yin Qing" on TV, and a helpline was broadcast at the end of the program.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to make the call and met Ye Sheng.
It took Ye Sheng a year to open Ah Jin's heart and take him out of the house to this clinic.
Ah Jin is diagnosed with depression, and the main cause is obviously school bullying.
In fact, Ah Jin's story is just the tip of the iceberg. School bullying is not uncommon in Hong Kong. It is reported that up to 30% of students in Hong Kong have been bullied.
In many cases, victims dare not resist, let alone tell the teacher, which makes the bully more presumptuous and aggravated.
The consequences of bullying for victims are severe and far-reaching, especially psychological damage.
Victims are often frightened, anxious, and even refuse to go to school because of fear, lose confidence in others, and finally suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic sequelae and other emotional disorders.
If the people around the victims, including classmates, teachers, and family members, can detect and lend a helping hand early, they will have the opportunity to save them from the dire straits and prevent the tragedy from happening.
After medication and psychotherapy, as well as the support of medical staff and social workers, Ah Jin's mood gradually improved and he began to be willing to step out of the house, get out of the haze, and reintegrate into society.
Campus life is an inevitable stage for everyone's growth, and the experience in it can directly affect the development of personal physical and mental health.
If everyone can achieve basic respect and tolerance, coupled with the cooperation of parents, schools, social workers and other parties, the school bullying can be corrected, so that every child can grow up in a pleasant learning environment .
"Hong Kong 01" "01 Medical Clinic" cooperated with the School of Mental Health of Castle Peak Hospital to publish a column written by medical staff every other Tuesday.
"Cheng" means to let the water stand still, let the water settle down, and then become clear.
I hope you can meditate and savor every little story, see the details, understand the heart of yourself and others, and see things and situations more clearly.
See clearly, know how to cherish, I hope this column can calm your emotional waves and enjoy the quiet time.
I hope you will share this experience with the people you care about, so that you can have one more partner on the road to a better life.
Story details have been revised to protect patient privacy.
DAB Roundtable Research on Fighting School Bullying Education Federation: Victims worry about losing friends and would rather not seek help for school bullying or constitute illegal conduct Disciplinary action for staff involved
