Attitudes towards mental patients in Hong Kong

Abstract

The purpose of this survey was to understand how the people of Hong Kong perceive mental health, mental illness, mental patients and mental health facilities. In March 1994, a total of 1,043 successful telephone interviews were conducted out of 2,202 valid telephone numbers. The sample was found to be representative of the Hong Kong adult population in terms of sex ratio, age structure, educational achievement and economic status. It was found that the majority of people of Hong Kong were very concerned about their mental health. Their knowledge on mental health was fairly good. Their attitudes towards mental patients and mental health facilities were, however, quite negative. Unlike previous western findings, these views towards mental patients and their rehabilitation facilities were found to be weakly associated with socio-economic factors including age, educational level and household income.