LCQ15: Assisting members of the public in relieving stress
**********************************************************
Question:
A research institute has recently announced that, according to the statistics of the Coroner's Court, the suicide rate in Hong Kong was estimated at 14.1 per 100 000 people last year. This represents an increase of 0.6 from 13.5 in 2023, which exceeds international standards. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will, in light of the latest situation, strengthen mental health and emotional support services in the community, as well as step up publicity and education efforts on social media to help citizens from diverse backgrounds relieve stress, so that they will know where to seek help; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) as it has been reported that the suicide rate among males aged between 25 and 39 saw the most significant increase last year, with 28.6 per cent of male suicides attributed to financial problems such as debts, unemployment, gambling or business failures, whether the Government will consider collaborating with community organisations and professional bodies to provide targeted counselling services for male groups, assist them in channelling their emotions and formulate appropriate response plans; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as it has been reported that a Mainland university student studying in Hong Kong has recently fell to her death after allegedly falling victim to phone scams, whether the Government will consider further strengthening cooperation with tertiary institutions by not only enhancing students' awareness of fraud prevention, but also strengthening the emotional support services for Mainland and overseas students, with a view to enabling them to focus on their studies and enjoy a simple and positive campus life in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Factors leading to suicide are multi-faceted, including emotional issues, personal health, interpersonal relationships and financial position. Each case varies and cannot be generalised. The Government attaches great importance to suicide prevention, and has been providing multi-tiered support through multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration among various policy bureaux and departments, public organisations, and other stakeholders within the community. These efforts aim to promote public education, identify high-risk groups, intervene early, and provide appropriate counselling and support services to individuals with suicidal tendencies and their families.
In consultation with the Health Bureau (HHB), the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Security Bureau, our reply to the Member's question is as follows:
(1) and (2)
Public education and promotion
In order to enhance public awareness of mental health, foster a positive mental health culture, and strengthen resilience, various departments have been implementing various public education and promotion programmes, including:
(i) The Labour and Welfare Bureau organises an annual Mental Health Month to raise public awareness of mental health through lectures, exhibitions, community activities, and workshops, etc, and convey positive messages, encouraging individuals to care for their own emotional well-being as well as that of others;
(ii) Apart from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) distributing promotional materials and broadcasting short videos, the 24 Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness (ICCMWs) under the SWD regularly organise different types of mutual support groups, as well as public education activities such as workshops and mobile exhibitions, to actively deliver positive messages, promote mental health knowledge, encourage the public to adopt a positive attitude towards seeking help and pay early attention to their mental health needs, with a view to strengthening resilience of the public. Specifically in response to the mental health challenges arising from work pressure, financial burdens and family responsibilities, faced by adults, including the middle-aged population, ICCMWs also organise mutual support groups and workshops specially for middle-aged men;
(iii) The Advisory Committee on Mental Health has launched a mental health promotion and public education initiative named "Shall We Talk" since July 2020. The initiative commits to promoting positive messages of mental health with a view to stepping up public knowledge and awareness of mental well-being and of seeking assistance from professionals when needed. The initiative delivers messages on mental health through different channels, including a one-stop website (shallwetalk.hk), a social media page, television and radio programmes, promotion posters, offline events such as road shows in tertiary education institutions, primary and secondary schools. Separately, the initiative disseminates information or knowledge and skills in suicide prevention and relevant information on ways to seek help provided in support of the World Suicide Prevention Day;
(iv) The EDB encourages schools to adopt a whole-school approach to promote students' mental health and strengthen support for students with mental health needs at three levels, namely Universal, Selective and Indicated through curriculum, resources, activities, training, and professional support. The EDB has been implementing the 4Rs Mental Health Charter since the 2024/25 school year. With "Resilience" being the core theme of the current school year, schools are encouraged to set targets and take concrete actions to promote mental wellness in campus and strengthen resilience of students.
In order to further strengthen community engagement and public education of mental health, the Government will implement the Pilot Programme on Training for Mental Health Promotion Ambassadors to mobilise and train mental health promotion ambassadors to promote healthy lifestyles, foster resilience and establish care support networks.
Identifying high-risk groups and early intervention
Identifying high-risk groups and providing targeted support services and early intervention helps reduce potential suicide risks. To that end, relevant departments implemented the following measures:
(i) HHB launched the Healthy Mind Pilot Project in 2024 at three District Health Centre (DHC)/District Health Centre Expresses to provide free preliminary mental health assessments at the community level. The pilot project aims to achieve the primary healthcare goal of "early detection and early treatment" and strengthen support for individuals in need. The Government will extend the pilot project in 2026 to cover nine DHCs, with follow-up services to be provided by practitioners with an academic background and training in fields such as psychology or counselling. The HHB also provided mental health first aid training to members of District Services and Community Care Teams to enhance their ability to identify and assist high-risk cases within the community;
(ii) The SWD has set up Cyber Youth Support Teams (CYSTs) to reach out to emotionally unstable youth or those with suicidal thoughts via social media and other online platforms, and provide emotional support, counselling and appropriate referral services. The SWD has enhanced the services of CYSTs in June 2025. Through the online youth emotional support platform "Open Up", CYSTs provide 24-hour real-time online counselling service for young people experiencing emotional distress and immediate crises, allowing them to receive support anytime, anywhere. The application of artificial intelligence will be strengthened for more precise identification of high-risk targets in need of support.
Crisis intervention for high-risk cases
Departments provide in-depth counselling and crisis intervention for high-risk cases with suicidal tendencies or mental health issues. Details are as follows:
(i) Currently, relevant departments and subvented organisations operate multiple hotlines to provide immediate support to individuals with suicidal tendencies or emotional distress, and encourage and refer them to relevant service units for in-depth counselling. These include the SWD Hotline (2343 2255), the crisis intervention and support hotline of the CEASE Crisis Centre under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (18281), the Caritas Crisis Line (18288), the Hotline Service for Youth at Risk (2777 8899), and the Designated Hotline for Carer Support (182183), as well as the "18111 – Mental Health Support Hotline" which provides one-stop, round-the-clock emotional and mental health support and referral for individuals regardless of background and age;
(ii) The 24 ICCMWs under the SWD provide emotional support, case management, and counselling services to individuals with mental health needs or suicidal tendencies. They work with the Hospital Authority and other welfare service units to provide immediate support and referrals for high-risk cases;
(iii) The Samaritan befrienders Hong Kong subvented by the SWD operates the Suicide Crisis Intervention Centre which offers outreaching, crisis intervention, and in-depth counselling services for individuals troubled by suicide-related issues (including male with financial stress and suicidal tendency). Also, the SWD subsidises Caritas Hong Kong and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals to provide specialised services, including counselling and advice, to enhance the resilience of persons with financial distress, as well as to refer them to receive relevant social services according to their needs, assist them in obtaining other necessary support and professional services, in order to support individuals and families suffering from emotional distress or family problems as a result of financial distress.
(iv) In order to identify students with high suicidal risk early and provide them with targeted support, the Government has implemented the Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism across all secondary schools in the territory through interdepartmental collaboration of the EDB, the HHB and the SWD starting from December 2023. This mechanism integrates in-school multidisciplinary teams, the off-campus support network, and medical services and has been enhanced in 2024. The Government announced regularising the three-tier emergency mechanism in secondary schools in the 2025/26 school year and extending it on a trial basis to Primary Four to Six students to strengthen support for those in need.
(3) The EDB and the University Grants Committee (UGC) pay close attention to the measures taken by post-secondary institutions in raising anti-scam awareness among students, and have maintained close liaison with them through the communication platform formed by university representatives. The institutions are encouraged to promote anti-scam messages to students through various channels. To raise non-local students' anti-scam awareness and vigilance, the institutions work closely with law enforcement agencies and local banks to disseminate information on anti-scam and fraud prevention through organising seminars for parents and admission talks, and setting up dedicated information webpages and hotlines, etc.
Since the new academic year of 2025, the Police have visited various universities to carry out anti-scam publicity campaigns. Earlier on, the Commissioner of Police has also sent a letter to the newly arrived students and their parents through all tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, urging them to pay particular attention to several common fraud tactics and advising them of ways to guard against such fraud. They are also encouraged to make good use of the Police's Anti-Scam Helpline and Scameter+. The Police have also launched an Online Learning Package. Local, Mainland and overseas students will have to learn about scam tactics and be given advice on counter measures through the tutorials in the forms of texts, images and videos. They will then have to complete the multiple choice questions provided. Those who have passed the test will receive an e-certificate. To cope with the peak of scams involving students around the new academic year of 2025, the Police have launched an updated version of the online learning questionnaire in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and English, covering scam tactics such as telephone deception, investment fraud and employment fraud, as well as information provided by the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre of the Police. Furthermore, the Police have organised over 30 scam prevention educational talks and seminars, and activities around the start of the new academic year, which have attracted the participation of more than 4 000 local, Mainland and overseas students. The activities included stepping up promotion of the online learning package and arranging visits to tertiary institutions by the Quby themed anti scam promotional truck to disseminate anti scam messages to students and staff.
UGC has been supporting the universities to promote mental health and positive education and strengthen various student support services, including counselling and mental health support. For the 2022/23 to 2024/25 triennium, UGC additionally allocated $30 million to establish the Whole-person Development Fund to support each UGC-funded university to organise projects that enrich students' learning experience outside the classroom, thereby promoting whole-person development among the younger generation. The promotion of positive education and psychological well-being was one of the four key areas. Apart from deploying funds to conduct different activities and peer support programmes, the universities also made use of the funds to strengthen the manpower for counselling to meet the service demands from students. In addition, the universities are utilising the additional allocation provided by UGC under the Funding Scheme for Mainland and Global Engagement and Student Learning Experience to organise activities for a multi-cultural campus, so as to promote exchanges between students from different backgrounds and cultures to create a diversified and inclusive international learning environment.
Ends/Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:10
Issued at HKT 12:10
NNNN