The number of youngsters in Hong Kong suffering from depression is "worrying", concludes a survey conducted by the Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service in early September. The social service group calls on the government to provide more resources to allow our young people to have mental-health check-ups and for teachers and school social workers to detect and implement early intervention before tragedies occur.

Baptist Oi Kwan's suggestions are worth supporting. As many young people harbor negative sentiments against the new government led by CY Leung, any moves that would help boost youngsters' mental health and well-being and prevent teen suicides will go a long way to rebuilding the young people's trust in the administration.

Depression is a leading cause for young people to take their own lives. Baptist Oi Kwan finds that of the 2,500 high-school pupils surveyed, 28 percent exhibit mild symptoms of depression, 10 percent have medium symptoms and 6 percent show serious symptoms. A psychologist at the social service agency says young people showing moodiness, fatigue and insomnia should visit doctors to see whether or not they are suffering from depression or other kinds of mental illness.

If the new government supports the idea of establishing mental-health service centers for the youth of the community, it would be most welcome. Baptist Oi Kwan is one of the few places in Hong Kong that provide such services to youngsters. Last year, 271 young people with depressive symptoms sought help from the center. That was up sharply from the average of 130 in previous years.

Young people suffering from depression are a worldwide phenomenon as they have to deal with study pressures, living stresses and relationship issues with their school mates. A survey of 3,900 teachers in Canada carried out in July 2012 showed that 59 percent of those polled agree that depressive disorders among primary-school and high-school students are "a pressing concern", including 16 percent who "strongly agree". Nearly 90 percent of teachers surveyed say there is a shortage of school-based mental health professionals.

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In the State of Connecticut, 371 youngsters took their own lives in 2011, the highest number the state has seen in at least 20 years.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health did a survey in June 2012 and found that 25 percent of high-school students reported "being sad or feeling hopeless everyday for 2 weeks" (i.e. feeling depressed) and 14 percent had contemplated suicide.

The State of South Carolina in the United States goes a step further in addressing the issue of teen depression. This summer it organized a five-day workshop for teachers in the state to learn, among other things, how to identify whether or not a high-school student suffers from mental illness. A therapist described to the workshop specific mental disorders, behavioral issues and risk factors at home that can cause children to be disruptive or unproductive in the classroom.

According to the Aiken Standard newspaper in South Carolina, Kathleen Conyers, a teacher who attended the five-day workshop, said "We've seen an increase of students with emotional issues."

It would be a great idea if similar workshops can be arranged in Hong Kong for high-school teachers to acquire the tools to tackle students' mental health issues before the students do stupid things such as injuring or killing themselves. Such training will equip teachers to differentiate between whether a student exhibits anti-social behavior or suffers from depression or other forms of mental illnesses.

Such workshops won't cost that much to the government, I reckon, and we have adequate qualified psychiatrists, therapists and specialists in town who will be willing to become instructors of these meaningful workshops. The government, nevertheless, must take the lead.

The author is coordinator of the B.S.Sc in financial journalism program at Hong Kong Baptist University.

(HK Edition 09/13/2012 page3)