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Hong Kong’s shortage of medical personnel may be mostly deeply felt in mental health, as a growing number of young people are seeking help. Photo: Shutterstock
New technologies have always been the source of both hope and apprehension. The rise of smartphones, screens and access to social media has transformed our everyday lives, yet there is growing concern about how our habitual use of technology may impact mental health, particularly among young people. A recent study found children in Hong Kong are spending increasing amounts of time on screens, while evidence is beginning to point to social media playing a role in increasing rates of mental health disorders in teenagers.

As mental health professionals and researchers, we must come to grips with any negative impact technology may have on mental health, but at the same time grasp the huge opportunities offered by digital tools for tackling mental illness. One crucial way technology can help is through access to health care. We are more connected than ever through our phones and computers, yet health care is still mostly face to face.

One in six people in Hong Kong suffer from a diagnosable mental illness but there are far fewer mental health professionals in Hong Kong than international standards, and even fewer in mainland China. Hong Kong has 4.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, about one-third of the number in the UK. Waiting times to see a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist are over a year for adults and more than two years for children. The growing problem of mental illness is testing an already stretched public health system – between 2010 and 2015, there was a 75 per cent increase in young people accessing mental health services in Hong Kong.
Internet and app-based therapies can reach enormous numbers of people who would otherwise fall through the cracks. In the UK, digital therapies such as guided self-help and internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy are increasingly used as the first line of care for people with depression and anxiety. As well as delivering therapies, the widespread adoption of technology can be harnessed for encouraging healthy habits. In Hong Kong, 82 per cent of households have internet access and 76 per cent of people have a smartphone.

While bad habits with our phones and tablets can lead to sleep problems and stress, internet-based programmes can encourage healthy sleep, tackling a common factor in mental well-being. Recent studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have tested web- and app-based mindfulness, self-compassion and cognitive behavioural programmes for helping Hong Kong workers cope with the stresses of everyday life.

Having tools in the privacy of your home and the palm of your hand also helps to overcome the stigma associated with mental illness. Digital programmes can be accessed anonymously without losing the interactive element of seeing a mental health professional – online helpers, such as chatbots, can guide users through assessing and understanding their needs, and provide them with both security and ownership of their own care. These kind of internet-based therapies can be particularly effective at reaching the new generation of digital natives who have grown up with ubiquitous technology.

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