Mental Health Issues in Hong Kong Surging Amid Tumultuous Protests, Experts Say

A protester offers a paper flower to pay honor to a man, who died after falling from a scaffolding at the Pacific Place complex while protesting, during a demonstration demanding Hong Kong's leaders to step down and withdraw the extradition bill, in Hong Kong, China, on June 16, 2019. Thomas Peter/Reuters

HONG KONG—Stress and trauma over the political turmoil surrounding Hong Kong’s extradition bill has created an unprecedented mental health problem that the city is not equipped to deal with, medical professionals say.

Discussion of mental health carries a huge stigma in the Chinese-ruled territory, and younger people are particularly vulnerable because of the stresses of everyday life: Exorbitant living costs, cramped housing, academic pressure and a gloomy view of the future, medical professionals say.