How Hong Kong universities are tackling rising mental health challenges among students with the help of AI chatbots, counselling services and holistic support programmes
Mature students face unique mental health challenges as they seek to balance work commitments, family needs, social life and academic pressures
The challenges of education on mental health in younger students are well documented – both societal and academic pressures. Research from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) concludes that the suicide rate among 15- to 24-year-olds doubled between 2014 and 2022. This rate stands as one of the highest in the developing world.
But it’s not just younger students who experience mental health difficulties. According to Mind HK, one of the city’s leading mental health charities, 61 per cent of adults in Hong Kong experience poor mental well-being, while one in seven will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime. This shows a greater likelihood of mental health challenges than the global average, which is one in nine, as reported by the World Health Organization.
Mind HK also reports that Hong Kong is home to one of the world’s most intense working cultures, with a working week lasting 51.1 hours on average. Balancing this with postgraduate education can present numerous challenges, and institutions have bolstered their support services to meet the ever-changing landscape their students face.
At the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the Wellness and Counselling Centre does just that. Eunice Yip, head of the centre, which is part of the Office of Student Affairs, explains its multifaceted approach: “[We] have a dedicated team to support students experiencing emotional and mental distress, as well as a 24-hour hotline for immediate emotional support.” This service offers support for students experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, both personal and academic, Yip explains.
•The centre comprises a team of counsellors, clinical psychologists and social workers who offer a free service to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students in need. Believing in a holistic approach to well-being, it works in partnership with the university’s medical service office, and also accepts referrals for student counselling made by staff members.
In April, the university launched a unique programme through the Jockey Club TourHeart+ project. The technology centres around an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that provides mental health support, combining “an online self-help mental health support platform with an in-personal counselling service, offering tailored support levels based on the mental health needs and challenges students face”, Yip says.
Horace Chan, a current research postgraduate student at CUHK, sees striking a balance as fundamental to a successful postgraduate student experience, “especially when the workload is overwhelming”, he explains. Chan relies on a range of well-being strategies to manage his mental health.
