A frustrated Tang

Things only got worse afterwards. Tang started finding it hard to concentrate on her studies, and she lost her motivation and interest in hobbies. She cried easily and seemed to take all of the sorrow in the world on her shoulders. Once she cried for an hour after watching a documentary on Sudanese child soldiers because she felt so sorry for them.

A friend of hers who studied Psychology noticed the unusual behavior and suggested that these might be symptoms of depression. This friend persuaded Tang to to seek professional help.

“I thought I would have either gotten over what was bothering me or gotten much worse in four months,” said Tang, as she recounted her reaction to the long waiting list. She could not afford private treatment, which generally runs at least $1,000 per session.

By this point, Tang had not had a good night’s sleep for almost two weeks and she had fallen behind in her revision schedule. She was going through a grueling combination of confusion, frustration and sadness - caused by both her physical condition and her exam-induced anxiety. She was in desperate need of a solution to her problem.

Anti-depressants gave Tang bad side-effects

“Then I started seeing this psychiatrist that totally didn’t work,” said Tang, rolling her eyes. “I had a very low self-image at that time; and he tried to prod me into thinking positively by repeatedly telling me how useless I was to be bothered by my negative emotions. He really didn’t help much; in fact every time I left his room feeling more depressed.”

She had a session with the psychiatrist every six weeks; each lasted around 30 to 45 minutes. He also prescribed anti-depressants, which she threw away after taking them once because the side-effects were terrifying. She eventually stopped visiting the hospital because she was disappointed with the service.

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..., How useless is that psychiatrist! How can he ask th May 06, 2007     

How useless is that psychiatrist! How can he ask the subject to repeat such things!
I know that the student centre (cepa) actually offer free psychological consultations to HKU students perhaps your interviewee could consider visiting them?

Jane Ho | 203.198.249.231

..., As a psychology student, I really feel sorry for Bo May 10, 2007     

As a psychology student, I really feel sorry for Bonnie! The psychiatrist should not act like that!! There are different ways to handle the case... But I think Bonnie should try to tell the psychiatrist about her feelings (Though I don't know if she can do so with such low self-esteem).

Sharon Leung | 147.8.46.31

..., During exam period, problems such as a high stress June 13, 2007     

During exam period, problems such as a high stress level, more susceptibility to illness and poor grades may afflict students. More guidence and care should be given to students. Also, the students should learn to seek assistance from others. Healthy psychological adjustmnt and effective communication are important.

Rui XIE | 203.118.196.51

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