Periscope

Mental illness strikes one in three people in Hong Kong, yet it is often either hidden or sensationalised. People with mental health problems suffer...

More than 195,000 people have been diagnosed with mental illness and are being treated within the public system. But Hong Kong's psychiatric services lag far behind those in other developed economies. Varsity hears how the shortage of psychiatrists, mental health social workers and a lack of adequate community support affects the lives and recovery prospects of those with mental health problems in Hong Kong.

Mental health problems and suicidal thoughts are common but often overlooked in the elderly By Charlene Kwan and Katrina Lee The sound of laughter and song...

Caring for family members with mental illness can be a lonely, difficult and stressful experience. Social stigma, a lack of social support and financial pressures add to the burden for carers and leaves them vulnerable to mental health problems themselves. Here, carers share their stories of frustration and hope.

It seems that more and more young people in Hong Kong are taking an active interest in social and political issues in Hong Kong,...

After years of being seen as politically apathetic, increasing numbers of Hong Kong's young people are participating in social movements and doing so at a younger age than in the past. Some have suggested this could be partly due to the introduction of Liberal Studies as a compulsory school subject in 2009. Varsity asks students and teachers what they make of the suggestion and talks to the critics who claim the subject is too political and too biased.

Over the summer, groups of younger alumni from some of Hong Kong's top schools launched high-profile, and successful, campaigns to prevent their alma maters from joining the Direct Subsidy Scheme. Add these to the many alumni concern groups that formed to oppose the government's proposal to mandate compulsory national education last year - and it seems we are witnessing the emergence of a new alumni movement. And as Varsity discovers, these groups are very different to traditional alumni associations.

Hong Kong's young people may be getting more involved in politics and social movements but contrary to common perceptions, they are not all radical or pan-democratic. In fact, some of them are proud to call themselves pro-establishment and conservative although as Varsity discovers, they are not afraid to adopt to learn from some of the more outspoken ways of their pan-democratic counterparts.

A recent survey by The Economist named Hong Kong as the most "liveable" city in the world. The S.A.R. also came in tenth in a...

Hong Kong consistently tops lists of the world's most expensive city for accommodation. The cost of land and property fuels rising rents, and prices for goods and services and despite various market-cooling measures rolled out by the government, many people remain priced out of the market.