[The Scars of Hong Kong] Psychologist treating protesters free of charge: They are the ones of noble character

"I believe that every single Hongkonger has it (post-traumatic stress disorder). It's just a matter of how severe it is."

This statement made by one of the interviewees struck our reporters in this interview series most. Strictly speaking, a person has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when he/she becomes mentally fixated on specific experiences after a traumatic event. Sometimes symptoms can last for more than a month. The interviewee's statement may not be too accurate by this definition. What she likely meant was as a result of the protests in Hong Kong, it was impossible not to suffer some degree of emotional or psychological trauma.

Now that the intensity of the protests has eased and confrontations dwindle,  the physical wounds may be covered by scabs but can invisible wounds fully heal with time? Before the National Anthem Law and the National Security Law came into effect, the reporters of InMedia HK interviewed protesters, loved ones of arrestees and psychologists to talk about how they deal with trauma amid the chaos.

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During the days when protests subsided, Ip Kim-ching remained busy. When the reporter approached him for an interview, he promptly allocated half an hour the next day for a phone interview. As the reporter clarified that a face-to-face interview was preferred, Ip could only make himself available in two weeks. 

A clinical psychologist, Ip is the convenor of the non-profit HK Psychologists Concern. Ip and a team of clinical psychologists who established HK Psychologists Concern set up street counters during a march on 16 June 2019 to provide psychological support to protesters. As subsequent protests grew more intense, the number of cases undertaken by HK Psychologists Concern kept increasing. To date, they have handled about 700 cases aged 14 to 70, among whom 70% are under 30. After the sieges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November, the number of people who sought help peaked and started to decline only when the epidemic hit in January 2020 and protests subsided. 

But recently, there has been another uptick.

The initial requests received by HK Psychologists Concern were mainly from those emotionally distressed after having seen television images and news. In view of the ever increasing demand and limited manpower, they started to focus their resources on protesters and arrestees, providing pro bono counselling or referral services.

Feeling sad for those of noble character

This January, the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong published its research findings that during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) movement, one in five people were suspected to suffer from depression or PTSD. Ip explained that as a result of a certain experience, if a person deviates from his/her usual behaviour and cannot properly manage himself/herself and his/her daily life and this persists for a month or longer, then the person concerned is deemed to have PTSD. For example, a person with PTSD may become sensitive to sounds and cannot determine what is reality. As the symptoms persist, he/she may experience insomnia and may self-blame. In severe cases, they may not be able to go to school or work at all.

HK Psychologists Concern typically offers four pro bono counselling sessions to those seeking help and a majority of the cases improve after counselling. For fear of being followed by the police and hence exposing their identities, some protesters refuse to have face to face counselling and will only make contact over the phone. In severe cases where long term follow up is warranted, HK Psychologists Concern will refer them to private psychiatrists.

Ip specializes in narrative therapy. He stressed that he will not view the people seeking help as victims and will not try to rush into problem solving. He lets them first speak out their thoughts, uncover their underlying values and will then help them find their own solutions. In the past year, he has contacted many youngsters. Despite facing multiple charges, some keep blaming themselves for not being able to go out (due to bail conditions) and are also worried about the safety of fellow protesters. Ip always feels disheartened for those who develop PTSD as a result.

Ip said he has great respect for them and described them as people of "noble character". Their stories motivate him to keep helping the protesters.

The worst is yet to come. Protest and trauma will go in tandem.

When asked which protest image is most unforgettable, Ip could not answer immediately. He pondered for a moment and said there are too many images, such as the young lady who lost her eye in Tsim Sha Tsui, undercover cops beating people up in Causeway Bay and anti-riot police pepper spraying at close range in Tai Koo MTR station. However, it is the beautiful events that impressed him most. These include worldwide advertising fundraising campaigns organised by netizens in a short time as well as the Hong Kong Way human chain over the top of Lion Rock on Mid-Autumn Festival day.  "I truly admire them (protesters)!" 

When he recalled what happened afterwards, his voice sank. Although there is no concrete proof, he and many others believe that Chan Yin-lam and Chow Tsz-lok both died for nefarious reasons. "Hong Kong has not yet become China but you know their families might have been silenced."

At the time of the interview, the "ban on public gatherings of four or more people" was still in effect, the Legislative Council House Committee chairman election disputes were on-going and no one could have expected the abrupt introduction of the Hong Kong National Security Law. In the interview, Ip casually commented on Hong Kong’s situation: “The worst is yet to come. There's still a long way to fall”. Less than a month after the interview, Starry Lee Wai-king took over as House Committee Chairman despite strong resistance from the pro-democracy camp. The Legislative Council passed the second reading of the National Anthem Law and the National People's Congress passed the draft of Hong Kong's National Security Law. News media expressed that "one country, one system" is now real. US president Donald Trump declared sanctions on Hong Kong and foreign media reported this as "the end of Hong Kong".

"Well, we'll keep going on. Young people will not think it (protest) will just end like this. Hongkongers find a lot of things wrong and thus there will be associated mental health issues," Ip said.

Walking with the protesters: I know what I value most

As convenor of HK Psychologists Concern, Ip's duties extend beyond providing free counselling to protesters. There are numerous other tasks such as development planning for the organization, collaboration with other organisations, community outreach services, etc. Ip plays weekly mahjong with his parents who are suffering from memory loss. Other than this, the majority of his free time is devoted to HK Psychologists Concern. He admits that this is tough but he said, "I know what I value most.”

HK Psychologists Concern has about 20 to 30 core members but Ip said this number is decreasing. Some have plans to emigrate, others want more personal time. This does not concern Ip. Apparently he has never considered withdrawing. His thoughts are all about how to improve and doing more in the future.

"My time (dedicated to HK Psychologists Concern) is nothing,” said Ip.

The self-proclaimed "middle-aged peaceful, rational and non-violent" Ip thinks that the price he pays cannot compare with that of the youngsters. After all, he wishes to keep walking with the protesters. He stands by his conviction that no matter how difficult the situation is, there will still be a glimmer of hope as long as Hongkongers unite together. Perhaps after a mutually destructive period, this city will rise from the ashes.

Source: InMediaHK, 31 May 2020

https://www.inmediahk.net/node/1074003