Hong Kong launches new mental health hotline offering 24-hour counselling services
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong authorities have launched a new mental health hotline to provide counselling services to the public, after a fatal mall stabbing earlier this year shone a spotlight on residents’ wellbeing.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau launched the hotline, at the number 18111, during a press conference on Thursday.
“This is a 24-hour real-time person-to-person response to any call. So we have staff – at least six staff – online at any time,” Lo said, adding that authorities would also be able to meet any increases in demand.
Callers will receive “immediate support and counselling services,” according to a government press release. They will also be referred to organisations for help depending on their individual cases.
The mental health hotline is the first in the city to be fully funded by the government, instead of by NGOs.
The government added that the number, 18111, was easy to recall. The “18” represents the fact that the mental health support extends to all 18 districts in the city, and the “‘one’ who needs help will get ‘one’-stop support just by calling ‘one’ dedicated hotline.”
Spotlight on mental health
The hotline’s launch comes after a fatal mall stabbing earlier this year – a rare incident of violent crime in the city – put a spotlight on mental health. In June, two women were killed at a shopping centre in Diamond Hill by a man said to have been suffering from schizophrenia.
See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong
The Social Welfare Department set up a mobile service counter staffed by clinical psychologists near the scene of the incident to provide counselling, as a lawmaker called on the government to step up mental health support.
After the incident, the government put forth suggestions to improve mental health services in the city, saying it would “expedite the implementation of setting up a mental health support hotline within this year.”
Chief Executive John Lee had announced in his Policy Address last year that authorities would set up a mental health support hotline to “enhance the mental wellness of the community.”
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