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Policy direction 3:

Hong Kong should leverage mental health support
beyond formal care

Beyond providing support for persons with mental health conditions and in the
spirit of primary healthcare, the focus of the mental health system should extend to
more upstream services that target “well” and at-risk populations, highlighting the
importance of promotion, prevention and early identification. These services can
be provided outside of formal care settings in everyday life. Research shows that
Hong Kong people possess poor mental health literacy in identifying subtle mental
health symptoms and managing these symptoms (Fung et al., 2021; Lui et al., 2016).
The digital space and the workplace serve as desirable settings to encourage adults
to seek help when encountering mental health conditions. Therefore, it is necessary
to adopt a more informal approach to mental health and to develop mental health
services that reach people in their everyday life, such as services in the digital space
and workplace.

Digital mental health refers to any service that uses technology to facilitate mental
health care delivery, which may span across a continuum of care, from promotion
and prevention to intervention and management. As digital mental health continues to
develop in Hong Kong, it is notable that the “Shall We Talk” campaign plays a critical
role in raising public awareness towards mental health through a series of education
and promotion efforts. Regarding promotion and prevention, the Government should
explore conducting a full impact study of “Shall We Talk” in promoting the public’s
perception of mental health conditions. Additionally, to optimise the use of the online
assessment on the “Shall We Talk” website, the Government should improve its
signposting function to refer individuals to a specific service that matches their needs
after an initial assessment, with an aim to lowering barriers to mental health service
entry. Concerning intervention, monitoring, and management services, digital therapies
and telepsychiatry services present promising opportunities.

In concert with expanding the range of digital mental health services, the Government
should also strengthen workplace and employee mental health. The Government’s
efforts in providing mental health support in workplaces is demonstrated by the
introduction of the Mental Health Workplace Charter (the Charter). In furthering these
efforts to enhance the promotion of mental well-being in workplace settings, the
Government should spearhead efforts through mandating bureaux and departments
to join and sign the Charter. The Government should also commission research to
develop a workplace psychosocial risk assessment as part of the Charter that allows
companies to have an aggregate view of their company’s psychosocial risks and
allows individual employees to have a gauge on their mental health. Additionally, the
Charter should be revised to strengthen requirements for improving workplace mental
health literacy. This may take the form of mandatory programmes, particularly at the
managerial level. Furthermore, signatories to the Charter should be incentivised to
provide early intervention services and training to support employees in need. Greater
workplace support should also be given to people with mental illnesses, which may
include training for managers on how to provide reasonable accommodations for
persons with mental illness.
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