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Mental health

Mental health
The latest mental health news including well-being, depression, mindfulness and mental health resources.
A Harvard University study found that people with higher optimism scores were less likely to develop dementia. One way to become more optimistic is to surround yourself with like-minded people. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Being optimistic can lower dementia risk by 15%, Harvard study finds

Experts explain why optimism is beneficial for brain health and how to cultivate a more positive mindset.

Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong students must learn to use AI without losing themselves

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Those lonely but not alone also deserve Hong Kong’s attention

Japan

Japan’s ‘ibasho’ sense of belonging helps disaster survivors heal, study finds

Research into the 2011 earthquake and tsunami shows fostering social connection and purpose helps survivors rebuild and staves off dementia.

A family retrieve belongings from their destroyed home in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan, on April 10, 2011. Photo: EPA
Wellness

The difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stress and how to beat the harmful kind

Clinical psychologists explain the two types of stress and how to calm ourselves with methods like nerve stimulation and analogue hobbies.

Hong Kong youth

Letters | A phone-free policy will work only if students help create it

Readers call on Hong Kong schools to balance setting boundaries with engagement, praise a local production of Bizet’s Carmen, and voice a wish for a better future.

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Good Schools Guide

Hong Kong parents and schools are rethinking sharing kids’ photos online

‘Sharenting’ can expose children to privacy breaches and identity theft, but schools still use students’ photos as marketing – where is the balance?

A child poses for a photo with a Christmas installation in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Hong Kong society

Broke with autistic son, she thought about suicide. A charity changed their lives

Hong Kong mother Chau Ting-ting says she and son Ziyi struggled to keep going, but she found hope after support of Wemp Foundation-backed scheme.

Hong Kong courts

Debt-ridden Hongkonger pleads guilty to attempted murder of family in flat

Wong Pak-ting, 45, tried to kill wife, three daughters and himself out of fear they would be harrassed for his business debts, Hong Kong court hears.

Hong Kong society

Opinion | As claw machines proliferate, Hong Kong must regulate the unregulated

Given the addictive potential of the machines and complaints about rigging, regulation is a step in the right direction and must protect children.

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A person tries their luck at a claw machine in Causeway Bay on May 4. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong youth

Letters | It’s OK to open up to an AI bot – just don’t stop there

Readers discuss ensuring AI is but a bridge to effective mental health support, Thailand’s termination of its MOU with Cambodia, and the future of warfare.

In Hong Kong, AI assistance is now the sixth most common option among those seeking help. Photo: AP
Hong Kong society

Meet 3 vinyl-spinning Hong Kong mothers finding a new rhythm after hardships

Bonding over struggles of single parenthood, three DJs are hoping to turn their music into a business with help from a social enterprise.

Trending in China

China ‘full-time children’ re-enter job market, hope to ease future challenges

Mainland youngsters reflect on ‘paid’ time spent caring for and keeping company with their parents, say it is not a panacea for tough job market.

Hong Kong transport

Letters | Rigid quotas will undercut Hong Kong’s ride-hailing service providers

Readers discuss the effort to regulate ride-hailing, how to best address the city’s mental health crisis, and potential problems linked to the Fanling Bypass.

The Uber app is seen opened on a mobile phone as a taxi drives past in Tsim Sha Tsui on May 16, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Wellness

Why are we still judging how mothers feed their babies?

Between Hewitt’s essay on choosing formula and Willis breastfeeding her toddler, the ‘breast is best’ conversation remains loaded with judgment.

Pete Davidson’s girlfriend Elsie Hewitt, who gave birth in December, wrote candidly about choosing formula over breastfeeding in an essay for Elle. Photo: @elsie/Instagram
Fame and celebrity

Britney Spears admits reckless driving in DUI plea deal, avoiding jail

The 44-year-old singer was sentenced to 12 months’ probation following her arrest in March for driving under the influence.

Wellness

1 in 4 people are ‘Alzheimer’s gene’ carriers like Chris Hemsworth. What to do

APOE4 comes with a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease, but the 25 per cent of people who have it can lower that risk with lifestyle changes.

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The Philippines

In Philippines, youth suicide crisis exposes struggle for mental health support

Manila faces a rise in youth suicides linked to emotional distress, prompting calls for the nationwide expansion of well-being resources.

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Manila’s youth suicide surge has sparked calls for urgent mental health interventions across the Philippines. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

How to sleep better, from bedtimes to regularity – what the research says

Sleep research has come a long way in the last decade. Here’s what you need to know to help make your slumber better.

US-China relations

The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but China-US cooperation might

US medical anthropologist Arthur Kleinman looks for path out of a social paradox: longer lives without a defined social role.

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United States

New Mexico trial citing ‘public nuisance’ laws against Meta, social platforms

The case is being closely watched as governments across the US pursue similar claims seeking to force big tech platforms to change to protect young users.

A recording of Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s deposition is played for the jurors on March 4, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Photo: AP
Wellness

Do you feel more anxious after googling symptoms? You could have cyberchondria

Also known as ‘Dr Google syndrome’, cyberchondria can lead to depression or, at worst, illness anxiety disorder.

Cyberchondria is an unfounded fear of, or heightened attention to, serious physical illnesses based on perusal of internet content, according to one doctor. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Experts warn of lasting harm after alleged dog cage child abuse case

Adverse childhood experiences can lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as behavioural problems, expert says.

Good Schools Guide

How parents can help their children deal with grief after the Tai Po tragedy

Coverage of the Wang Fuk Court fire could affect most children, but how they display their feelings may differ depending on age, culture and other factors.

Africa

‘A lot of suicide’: Sudan war’s sexual violence sparks mental health crisis

The horrific scenario includes the shooting and raping of a health worker - with a woman in labour dying - and many suicides to avoid rape.

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A 17-year-old from Sudan holds her child in her arms in a refugee camp in Chad. She became pregnant after being raped outside the refugee camp. Photo: dpa
Wellness

What is ‘nonnamaxxing’? Viral health trend embraces Italian grandma’s lifestyle

Daily walks, gardening, cooking from scratch – whatever an Italian grandmother would typically do, Gen Z are going wild for online.

Embrace Italian nonna habits like cooking, walking, and less screen time for a healthier, happier life - at least, that is what TikTok users believe as “nonnamaxxing” takes off online. Photo: dpa
Hong Kong society

Opinion | 10 ways Hong Kong schools can effectively promote mental health

Education should cultivate individuals who, even under pressure, can self-regulate and find hope without demanding perfection of themselves.

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Hong Kong society

Letters | Pathway of Hong Kong pupils’ well-being runs through relationships

Readers discuss the sharp rise in the number of students with mental illness, and an experience with an orthopaedic surgeon.

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