Remember Hong Kong youths’ mental health when making blueprint for their future
- Hong Kong needs its young people to secure its future, and our new generations need not just job opportunities but more support and a sense of hope
- The city’s first youth blueprint puts emphasis on creating opportunities, but neglecting young people’s mental health in the discussion will be costly
From January to November this year, there were more than 88,000 incoming cases. Around 5 per cent of these cases were of high suicidal risk or crisis cases, which means they might have suicidal ideation, attempts or even be in suicidal crisis when they reach Open Up.
This brings attention to the emotional needs of Hong Kong youth. About 45 per cent of users revealed they had never discussed their problem with others before they came to Open Up. Traditional youth social services have not managed to serve those who usually hide themselves in social media.
Hong Kong’s mentally ill youth are suffering in silence
The observation aligns with the findings from the studies on death notes of suicide victims, carried out by our centre with the coroner’s court. However, most of the cases showed more than one issue of concern. These issues are interconnected and cannot be untangled easily.
While Open Up is an anonymous, text-based counselling platform, the counsellors also provide the option of thematic care to users in need. Six to eight counselling sessions with specific goals set out will be arranged for the users to tackle their main concerns through online counselling.
As users do not have to disclose their identity and can receive the service online, Open Up aims to encourage youth in need to seek help. Knowing they can receive help in a way they are comfortable with, we hope they could feel being heard and being cared for.
Several cases on Open Up have been referred to other offline services, and these young people have consistently joined these services ever since. What we need to do is simply to reach out and give a hand to these lost youngsters, showing them an alternative pathway for their life and giving them hope.
Three ways Hong Kong can nurture its youth for a bright future
Sometimes, simply being heard or being cared for, even by a stranger, can help one find life meaningful again when they are in doubt, despair and darkness. At the same time, it is our responsibility to build a brighter pathway for our young generation. The youth report puts emphasis on creating opportunities, but any neglect of mental health in the discussion of youth development can be costly.
In this new year, let us join hands and give our youth hope for the future. They can set realistic goals and specific pathways to reach those goals. Hong Kong needs young people who are not only well-trained technically but mentally fit for future challenges. We need to create a more inclusive society so we can build a stronger sense of belonging and continue to excel for ourselves and for Hong Kong.
Paul Yip is the chair professor (population health) at the University of Hong Kong and a founding director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the university
Joyce Liu is a research manager at the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention