28-05-2025
Nearly half of Hongkongers who lost loved ones to suicide at high risk of PTSD, survey shows
Nearly half of Hongkongers who lost their loved ones to suicide are at high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a survey has found.
According to a survey released by the Suicide Prevention Services (SPS), a non-profit organisation, on Tuesday, 47.4 per cent of 154 respondents whose family members died by suicide scored higher than 31 – the cutoff line in a PTSD screening tool. Scores above the cutoff line indicate probable PTSD.
Conducted by the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the survey studied those who received SPS services from September 2022 to April 2025 after losing their children, spouses, or siblings to suicide.
It also found that those bereaved by suicide struggled with guilt, self-blame, and thoughts questioning the reasons behind the suicides of their loved ones.
Amy Chow, a professor at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at HKU and a board member of the SPS, told HKFP on Tuesday that the study showed women were more likely than men to suffer from self-blame, a sense of abandonment, and feeling uncomfortable talking about the reasons for death.
Cultural shame and stigma in Chinese communities often lead the bereaved to remain silent, Dr Fang Chun-kai, a senior attending physician in the Department of Psychiatry at MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
They face not only overwhelming grief and guilt but also a lack of adequate social support and psychological care, he added.
Each suicide incident affects an average of six family members or friends, Fang said. He called on people not to judge those bereaved by suicide.
All the respondents received counselling services provided by the SPS, which had a positive impact on their grief symptoms, Chow said, adding that early intervention is critical.
'If we know anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide, even if they only show mild symptoms, please encourage them to seek help,' she said in Cantonese.
