HONG KONG – A series of brutal attacks in Hong Kong is shining a light on mental health in a city that has suffered from particularly acute strains while lacking sufficient resources to provide proper care for all who need it, mental health groups say.
The policy and advocacy group Our Hong Kong Foundation says the state of the mental health of Hong Kong’s more than 7 million people has deteriorated while support from the public care sector is not adequate to meet the need for help. A city government spokesman, asked about the state of mental health, referred Reuters to a meeting the administration organized this month aimed at exploring more ways to address mental health problems and support people who suffer from severe mental disorders.
Many people in densely populated Hong Kong wait years for public housing, most young people live with their parents and many thousands are packed into subdivided units, known as “coffin cubicles.”Judy Blaine, a researcher and consultant on mental wellbeing, says it is the compounding of stresses that takes a toll on Hong Kong’s people.