HKU Study: Three fourths of HKers are suffering from depression following last year’s unrest and Covid-19
A newly released HKU study has found that some three-quarters of Hongkongers presented moderate-to-high degrees of depressive symptoms while more than 40 per cent showed PTSD symptoms in the aftermath of last year’s social unrest and the ongoing Coronavirus.
The survey with nearly 11,500 interviewees through online surveys and phone calls between February and July this year showed that youngsters are disproportionately affected with reported symptoms of PTSD and depression with around half of people aged 24 or younger reported the symptoms respectively.
Professor Eric Chen Yu-hai, head of the department of psychiatry at HKU, who presented the study, said some suffering from mental illness are not willing to seek professional help.“Our overall mental health resources are not very strong in Hong Kong, partly because the nature of the social unrest has compromised people’s trust [in] the public service system.”
