A Hong Kong merchant has been jailed for five years and four months for attempting to murder his wife and three daughters by burning charcoal in their public rental flat after struggling to repay debts totalling nearly HK$900,000 (US$115,000). The High Court on Monday sentenced Wong Pak-ting in what the presiding judge described as a…
In the second of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on ageing in Hong Kong, Lo Hoi-ying examines rising social isolation among the elderly, its serious health risks and how activities and community support are helping seniors stay socially engaged. For Lee Chor-kwan, an 89-year-old living alone in Hong Kong, mealtimes are often lonely. But…
As many as two-thirds of 158 subdivided housing tenants supported by an NGO in Hong Kong have shown signs of anxiety or depression, highlighting calls for stronger counselling and social support. The Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service (KTMSS) said on Thursday that it had served 158 families living in subdivided flats in the district in…
An American woman has died after plunging from a Hong Kong hotel’s 29th-floor pool deck, injuring seven people on the ground floor, one seriously. The 69-year-old, a US passport holder who had reportedly suffered from depression and stopped taking medication in March, was staying at Hotel Indigo on Queen’s Road East in Wan Chai with…
The number of secondary school students diagnosed with mental illness in Hong Kong has doubled over the past five academic years, with the increase potentially under-reported due to reluctance among some pupils and parents to disclose health information, education authorities have said. The data is in line with a trend recorded by the Health Bureau…
For most of my career in developmental and educational psychology, I have been guided by a single question: what do children truly need to flourish in the world they are entering? I don’t mean the world their parents inherited or the one textbooks were designed for, but the one unfolding – volatile, technology-saturated and deeply…
Hong Kong’s new budget is positioned to foster high-quality, inclusive growth through innovation and finance. Ahead of projections, a surplus of HK$2.9 billion (US$370.8 million) is now expected, largely due to the stronger-than-expected stock market and tax receipts. Reflecting a sound fiscal approach and forward thinking, the 2026-27 budget will maintain an operating surplus and…
One in three Hong Kong adults have moderate to severe symptoms of depression, almost triple the rate from 2012, with Generation Z respondents who spent a lot of time on screens affected the most, a survey has found. The biennial study, conducted by the Mental Health Association NGO and the Chinese University of Hong Kong…
A former property agent has admitted planting urine-spiked soft drinks among other goods in supermarkets repeatedly for more than a year, telling a Hong Kong court he had developed depression since his divorce and retirement. Kowloon City Court heard that Franklin Lo Kim-ngai, 63, marked his discontent with supermarket staff by doctoring Coca-Cola Plus and…
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. Dial or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for free and confidential support. Summer passed Valerie Zeko by when she was 27, as she vegged out on the couch watching TV instead of seeing friends or exploring the overcast beach…