Distressing times

Establishing a caring culture

Social stigma is another stumbling block for people seeking human support to get rid of mental stress, according to Lam and McLeod. "There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health and it's very common in Hong Kong," says McLeod. "Even if someone is ready to seek professional human support, there is still plenty of guesswork involved. For example, whom should that person consult, where to go and how to pick the best professional to meet that person's needs?" says Lam.

Nevertheless, the stigma might break down when a culture of caring about people's well-being is formed within a company, McLeod points out. What the experts say ring true to a certain extent. Young employees like Xue and Yang might feel embarrassed when they walk into a counselling room under the gaze of others. They also find it hard to afford expensive psychological counseling services themselves, and expect their employers to provide therapy services that are secure, affordable and easy to get.

Neurum Health, set up by Lam and Caleb Chiu, developed an online mobile application to cater to the needs of both employers and employees. Users can record their daily mood diary and track their mental health status on the app which also has a skills-based program that enables them to learn practical skills, such as mindset development, situational behavioral and emotional management. The service also suggests techniques for users in nurturing intimate relationships with their partners and parents, and in generating a healthy environment in the workplace.

Employers can observe the overall wellness levels of their staff, based on various indices, through a dashboard, and better plan their organizational strategies, while the personal data of employees are well protected.

"Instead of merely providing last-mile assistance, companies should integrate an end-to-end mind healthcare service as part of their strategy to retain talent - from day-to-day thematic program learning to mental health tracking and human support matching," Lam suggests.