'Mental health woes put pressure on social workers'

The founder of an NGO said on Tuesday that many Hong Kong social workers are experiencing burnout as they face a range of challenges, including an increasing workload as more people in society face difficulty with their mental health. Speaking on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme, Chou Wah-shan from the mental health group Dreams Possible said a survey conducted with University of Hong Kong academics found that ninety-three percent of the 255 social workers interviewed experienced a moderate level of work-related stress. He said the study also found signs of depression in 68 percent of the interviewees. "The issue of burning out is becoming more and more alarming," he told RTHK's Samantha Butler. "Because I think in the past couple of years, Hong Kong has been facing huge challlenges in many aspects: socio-economic, political. "Also, many people are feeling frustrated and are having emotional and mental illness issues. That's why the workload of social workers, as the helping profession, has immensely increased, together with the intensity of clients' emotional issues, including emotional issues, depression, anxiety disorder or even suicidal issues."