There has been a sharp rise in the number of children receiving medical consultations for emotional problems, an expert said
October 30, 2013 Leave a comment
Pressures pile on kids
Staff reporters
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
There has been a sharp rise in the number of children receiving medical consultations for emotional problems, an expert said. Psychiatrist Kathy Chan Po-man said she is now handling at least one such case every month as against one very several months 10 years ago. One out of every four children she treats is below the age of eight.She believes a major reason for the increase is probably due to the interviews the children undergo to enter a primary school – something that has only been practiced in recent years.
Many of the children seeking treatment say they have encountered great pressure in their studies or have been bullied at school or are having problems in their peer relationships, Chan said.
In recent years, children and their parents have been forced to queue outside renowned direct subsidy schools just to get application forms or to attend interviews amid the tight competition for Primary One places.
In addition, many parents have been turning to international and direct subsidy schools, the de facto private schools, as they find it hard to get their children enrolled in public schools.
The rising demand for school places has led to intense competition, fueling training centers that feed on parents’ anxiety on getting their children into good schools.
Chan cited one case in which a five- year-old K3 student sought medical treatment for emotional problems after her parents had arranged for her to attend interviews over a six-week period with primary schools.
Chan said the student felt unhappy as her interview results were not quite satisfactory and her parents partly blamed her. The student became depressed and did not watch television or play with her toys for several weeks.
More alarming, however, the student also told the family she wanted to jump out of their flat window.
It was then that the parents decided to seek medical treatment. She has now recovered.
Chan suggested that parents should improve their relationships with their children.
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