CoCo Lee's sudden passing has brought attention to the state of mental health in Hong Kong
, says HKU’s Calvin Cheng, a clinical assistant professor. “Before COVID, already more people [were] seeking for mental health service,” Cheng tells TIME, “because [of] more conflict amongst the citizens or the unhappy news in the TV.”
And while a government-backed advisory panel on mental health has promoted education and awareness in Hong Kong, Eric Chen, who chairs HKU’s psychiatry department, tells TIME that the city still lacks a systemic public health program to combat depression. “The mental health care system in Hong Kong is disproportionately under-resourced relative to the overall affluence of the city,” he says, adding that those who need to seek non-private mental health services have had to wait up to a year.
Heidi Lo, another HKU professor who specializes in adult psychiatry, says Lee’s death should be “an alerting signal” to the public: “Even someone as famous as CoCo Lee, who apparently seems to be successful and, from her photos on social media or on the news, she seems to always smile, like she seems to always be bringing joyful moments to others, but actually, she was facing the problem of depression.
“I think there is a lot of room for improvement in Hong Kong for making sense of it,” Lo says, “and facing it not like a taboo.” If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental-health crisis or contemplating suicide, call or text 988. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider.
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