An Analysis of Mental Health Disorders in Hong Kong Healthcare System

This essay examines the prevalence of mental health disorders in Hong Kong, analyzing data from various surveys and studies. It highlights the common occurrence of depression and anxiety, particularly among adults, and notes that while awareness and healthcare-seeking have increased, the prevalence of mental health disorders among students remains a significant concern. The essay also points out the high rates of mental illness among the homeless population and the inadequacy of tailored interventions for this group. The conclusion emphasizes the need for more targeted approaches within the healthcare system to address the specific needs of vulnerable populations and reduce the overall prevalence of mental health conditions in Hong Kong. The essay references several studies and reports to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic.

Running head:HEALTHCARE
Prevalence of Mental Health Disorder in Hong Kong
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HEALTHCARE
Introduction
Mental health disorders are a very important issue in the healthcare of any country.
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders is diverse across countries. However, with the
continuously increasing psychological interventions and health promotions, it can be
expected that the prevalence of mental health disorders may be lowering. In Hong Kong, the
aspect of mental health occupies a significant position in the healthcare system (Fhb.gov.hk.,
2020). The aim of this essay is to shed light on the prevalence of different mental health
disorders across Hong Kong, the steps that have been taken and to judge whether the rate of
mental health disorders have declined in the recent years.
Discussion
In a busy city like that of Hong Kong, stress is prevalent in citizens. As per the Hong
Kong Mental Morbidity Survey of 2010-2013, a widespread study on 5700 adults between
the age of 16 and 75 was conducted (Lam et al., 2014). This survey showed that around 13.3
per cent of the adults suffered from a mental health disorder. The most common disorder that
was prevalent included depression and anxiety disorders, which was around 6.9 per cent
(Fhb.gov.hk., 2020). However, among individuals with common mental disorders, most of
them did not seek help according to the same survey. Only around 26 per cent went the
required healthcare professionals for help (Lam et al., 2015). In a separate survey conducted
by the Department of Health of Hong Kong, around 2000 random citizens were surveyed via
telephone (Change4health.gov.hk., 2020), and they reported around 4.8 per cent of them
having non-specific psychological distress symptoms (Fhb.gov.hk., 2020). Despite the above
prevalence and the low number of patients, it has also been observed that in accordance with
the recent statistics, the population has been seeking mental healthcare more and more in
recent years. In the year 2011-12, the number of patients seeking mental healthcare was

2HEALTHCARE
187000, while in the year 2015-16, it rose up to 220000. This shows that individuals are
becoming more aware in terms of seeking help for mental disorders and that is always a
positive sign (Fhb.gov.hk., 2020). While this does not mean that the prevalence of the mental
disorder has declined or increased, it is evidence of the fact that people are becoming more
careful and inclined to seek help when they need it.
Mental health issues among adolescents is a very important concern of Hong Kong
Mental Healthcare system. A review of the same topic showed that there was a high
prevalence of depressive disorders rather than other mental health issues among adolescents.
This review showed that health interventions to combat this problem should focus more on
the positive youth development aspect and the factors related to their family life (Yuen, Liu
& Tse, 2019). Such reviews and studies pave the way of better health interventions in all
group of mental health patients. On a similar note, the prevalence of mental health disorders
is very high among the University students of Hong Kong. Seventy-six per cent of the mental
health patients suffer from depression, anxiety or closely related disorders. The major factors
were related to academic stress, family stress or stress from peers. A significant number of
Chinese students studying in Hong Kong suffer from Insomnia (Lo et al., 2018). In recent
times, it has been evidence that the mental well-being of adolescents in high school and
undergraduate programs deteriorated rather than becoming better (Shek & Lin, 2017). This
shows that while the common population may be seeking healthcare, and the rate of mental
disorders may be decreasing, the same is not true for the students. Another study showed that
alcohol drinking was quite common among university students of Hong Kong. Binge-
drinking or occasional drinking was linked to higher mental health disorder risk among the
students, which may also be the reason for high rates of mental health conditions in students
(Huang et al., 2016). Being an adolescent comes with its own set of discomforts, and the
academic pressure and stress are bound to have a significant effect on the psychological

3HEALTHCARE
conditions of the individuals. Hence the interventions and programs must be targeted towards
the students, specifically in order to lower the prevalence of mental health disorders.
Another subset of the population who are highly prone to suffering from mental
health disorders is the homeless population. According to a study, around 56 per cent of the
population was suffering from some sort of mental disorder. Seventy-one per cent of them
had a history of mental health disorders. The common conditions included mood disorders or
alcohol and substance abuse-related disorders. Psychotic disorders, anxiety was also quite
common, and a low prevalence of dementia was also reported. However, despite this huge
number of individuals suffering from a condition, only around 13 per cent were receiving
treatments at the time of the study (Yim et al., 2015). The fact that this subset of the
population had the highest prevalence of mental health disorders, but the treatment
percentage was so low, provided evidence that the healthcare system was lacking in this area.
There have been several programs on the prevention of substance and alcohol abuse relapse
among the citizens of Hong Kong that included motivational interview among other
interventions (Ngai, Wu & Suen, 2020). However, there are little to no programs specifically
tailored towards the needs of the mental healthcare for the homeless population. It must be
understood that the struggles they face are different from that of the normal population, so the
interventions must be tailored in accordance with their needs.
Conclusion
From this essay, it can be concluded that while there is no evidence of lowering of
overall prevalence rate of mental health disorders in Hong Kong, it can be considered that the
awareness and healthcare-seeking have increased considerably in recent times. More of the
common population is actively seeking mental healthcare when required. However, the levels
of mental health disorders among the students in Hong Kong has increased rather than

4HEALTHCARE
decreasing. The homeless population has the highest levels of mental health disorders in
Hong Kong, and the programs or interventions towards improving mental well-being in them
is inadequate. Overall, while the healthcare system is becoming more advanced, more
tailored approaches are required to help the vulnerable populations to reduce the prevalence
of mental health conditions in Hong Kong.

5HEALTHCARE
Reference
Change4health.gov.hk. (2020). Change4Health - Behavioural Risk Factor Survey (BRFS).
Retrieved 8 April 2020, from
https://www.change4health.gov.hk/en/resources/brfs_index/index.html.
Fhb.gov.hk. (2020). Retrieved 7 April 2020, from
https://www.fhb.gov.hk/download/press_and_publications/otherinfo/180500_mhr/
e_mhr_full_report.pdf.
Huang, R., Ho, S. Y., Wang, M. P., Lo, W. S., & Lam, T. H. (2016). Reported alcohol
drinking and mental health problems in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. Drug and
alcohol dependence, 164, 47-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.028
Lam, L. C. W., Chan, W. C., Wong, C. S. M., Chen, E. Y. H., Ng, R. M. K., Lee, E. H. M., ...
& Chiu, H. F. K. (2014). The Hong Kong mental morbidity survey: background and
study design. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry, 24(1), 30. Retrieved from
https://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/196573/1/Content.pdf?accept=1
Lam, L. C. W., Wong, C. S. M., Wang, M. J., Chan, W. C., Chen, E. Y. H., Ng, R. M. K., ...
& Lam, M. (2015). Prevalence, psychosocial correlates and service utilization of
depressive and anxiety disorders in Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity
Survey (HKMMS). Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 50(9), 1379-
1388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-015-1014-5
Lo, S. M., Wong, H. C., Lam, C. Y., & Shek, D. T. (2018). Common mental health
challenges in a university context in Hong Kong: A study based on a review of
medical records. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9673-5

6HEALTHCARE
Ngai, C. K., Wu, C. S., & Suen, L. K. (2020). Structured Relapse Prevention Program for
Chinese Patients in Hong Kong with Comorbidity of Substance Use and Mental
Health Disorders: A Feasibility Study. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1-10.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1713423
Shek, D. T. L., & Lin, L. (2017). Trajectories of personal well-being attributes among high
school students in Hong Kong. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 12(4), 841–
866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-016-9492-5.
Yim, L. C. L., Leung, H. C. M., Chan, W. C., Lam, M. H. B., & Lim, V. W. M. (2015).
Prevalence of mental illness among homeless people in Hong Kong. PloS one, 10(10).
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140940
Yuen, W. W., Liu, L. L., & Tse, S. (2019). Adolescent mental health problems in Hong
Kong: a critical review on prevalence, psychosocial correlates, and
prevention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(6), S73-S85.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.10.005