Middle-class families and unemployed young adults are particularly prone to anxiety disorders and panic attacks, a self-participatory online survey reveals.

More than 2,300 people in Hong Kong, the mainland and other places took part in answering a questionnaire evaluating their emotional state from September last year to the end of May. The median age of respondents was 25.5.

The survey - conducted by four organizations including Regeneration Society and the HK College of Mental Health Nursing - revealed that over 70 percent of participants met the criteria for anxiety, while more than 60 percent revealed medium to serious symptoms of panic attacks, especially those under 30.

A certain level of stress and anxiety is normal at work as well as at home. Persistent, excessive and irrational anxiety that interferes with everyday functioning often for a period over six months is an indication of an anxiety disorder.

Those most prone to panic disorder are females, those affected by unemployment, those with only secondary school education, those suffering the effects of unhappy childhood experiences. Union Hospital senior consultant in Psychiatry Paul Tam Mo-shing said estimates show Hong Kong has about 700,000 people who suffer from an anxiety disorder.

Meanwhile, people from middle-class families with a monthly household income between HK$25,000 and HK$29,999 demonstrated a higher risk of anxiety disorder than those with lower income.

Chairman of Commission on Youth Bunny Chan Chung-bun blamed skyrocketing property prices as a principal factor because the market conditions create great pressure for middle-class people.

"There are a basket of reasons contributing to the prevalence of anxiety disorder but young adults being unable to buy houses is a main reason for that, because they feel anxious for not having a stable home," Chan commented.

Paul Tam remarked, many anxiety disorder cases are related to family issues rather than external factors and that trend, he said, is getting worse.

"It's very difficult to get a good job these days, even if you get a good job you can't get a good house. With such (high housing) prices, it's a difficult time for the youths," he said.

Martin Wong Chi-sang, chairman of Regeneration Society, said panic disorder could decrease productivity of the working population and thus affect GDP as well as the city's competitive edge, adding that support should not just come from the medical industry and social welfare together. The education sector also has an important role to play.

Bunny Chan urged schools to include stress management as an elective subject for students, while enhancing training for teachers and social workers to help them identify students showing anxiety symptoms, because early diagnosis is essential.

Winnie Cheung, founder of UpPotential, a website for assisting people with anxiety disorders, said panic attacks first struck her one month after she gave birth to her daughter in 1983. She began to experience recurrent panic attacks that occurred a few times a month before some kinds of phobias showed up. Cheung said she endured the anxiety disorder for 12 years until 1995.

"I urge people having early stage of panic attack symptoms to seek help before it develops to a longterm ailment," she said.

mingyeung@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 08/16/2012 page1)