Early psychosis is a common mental disorder among
people aged between 15 and 25. Prominent symptoms include hallucinations, delusion and formal thought disorder.

According to Dr. Kathy Chan, a senior medical officer of the Hospital Authority, there are about 720 reported cases in Hong Kong.

Prof. Freedom Leung of the Department of Psychology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong specializes in abnormal psychology and adult psychology.

He said that the reason for the disorder is still unclear. But it is generally believed that a family history of psychotic diseases, brain damage and substance abuse contribute to the disorder.

Kitty (not her real name), 17, was diagnosed with early psychosis and obsessive-compulsive disorder at the age of 15. She is now recovering.

She thought her anxiety and lack of confidence contributed to her disorders.

“At the early stage, I was obsessed with washing hands and counting sheets of toilet paper,” said Kitty. “I also heard someone keep talking to me.”

The situation got worse after the public examinations.

“I became pessimistic, only thinking of being robbed and raped. Also, I felt someone could read my mind,” said Kitty. “It really scared me.”

Kitty’s mother didn’t understand her daughter’s disorder at first.

“ I didn’t know it was a psychiatric disease. I thought it was just something like a cold that could be healed,” said Kitty’s mother.

“Because I could not find any relevant information about the disorder, I used to blame her for being not tough enough.”

After having joined some sharing groups for patients’ families, Kitty’s mother began to understand her daughter’s problem.

Ricky Chung, a consultant for the New Territories cluster of the Department of Psychiatry at the Prince of Wales Hospital, said the public awareness of early psychosis in Hong Kong is low.

He said early psychosis is more than hallucinations. It is found to be closely associated with suicidal behavior.

“Overseas studies have found that more than 90 percent of teenagers who commit suicide show psychiatric symptoms,” said Dr. Chung.

“When covering teenage suicide cases, the news media attribute the problem only to social problems such as pressure from schoolwork or difficulties in dealing with relationships.

“Often they cannot fully address the problem.”

Though early psychosis remains a mystery, Dr. Chan said early treatment can lead to a speedy recovery.

Dr. Chung agreed that early treatment is important.

“Very often, early signs of the disorder can be observed,” said Dr. Chung.

“Patients usually become socially withdrawn and get depressed and irritated for no reason. They sometimes hear vague voices and get suspicious.”

Medication and counseling are needed for treatment of early psychosis.

A special unit under the Hospital Authority called Early Assessment Service for Young People with Psychosis was set up in April 2002.

There are now four clinics for such treatment in Hong Kong. They target patients aged 15 to 25 with early psychosis.

Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service also has a unit devoted to helping patients with early psychosis.

The unit Adolescent Early Intervention Project offers treatment-oriented as well as skills-oriented courses. It aims at boosting patients’ confidence and helping them to gradually get back into society.

However, most Chinese discriminate against the sufferers. Some of Kitty’s classmates in fact have the same symptoms as hers. But they are very reluctant to talk about it.

Now she keeps taking medication. Though still hearing weird voices, Kitty now manages to ignore them.

She said sharing her own experience with other patients is of the same importance as medication.
She now frequently shares her experience with other patients in Oi Kwan Center as part of the treatment.

“Whenever I have sharing sessions, I realize that most have the similar thoughts like mine,” said Kitty. “That makes me happy, since I am no longer alone.”

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