The SPECIAL Hall Night Talk was kickstarted for this academic year on the 21st September with a very special talk by Dr. Ho Mei Yee, a forensic psychiatrist who shared her journey to be what she is today and shared enlightening tips as a mental health specialist. The talk was extremely interactive where the audience not only asked questions about her professional career including criminal cases but also shared their own personal stories seeking her opinion as a psychiatrist.
An interesting question raised by RT Bauhinia of Hall 2, made Dr Ho share how she distinguishes truly mentally ill criminals from those pretending to be mentally ill to mitigate punishment. She shared the art of asking questions and observing behavior is an important tool for a psychiatrist to diagnose the patient. She de-stigmatized mental health issues in her talk and said that media’s portrayal is rather exaggerated.
She not only is one of the very few forensic psychiatrists in Hong Kong, but also an advocate of positive psychology. She said the main reasons why people have mental health issues are genetic, environmental or how people deal with stress. Since how one thinks is the only changeable aspect, she highlights the importance of having the right mindset, which positive psychology tries to embed.
The audience was touched by her life changing tips. She shared the importance of being in the present moment because it is the only time in our control. We can’t change the past or figure out the million possibilities in the future, unless we have a time machine. Dr Ho also encouraged everyone to do what makes them happy, every day. As college students we all feel pressure to be accepted and get upset by other people’s opinion, but she highlighted how people may come and go and what matters is how we think about ourselves, because in the end we live with our own self always.
Coming next month on 11th October, is Mr. Herman Hu, former CityU Council Chairman, a CPPCC member and he holds senior positions in numerous sports associations. He will share about his journey in the Asian Games.
Writer: Muskaan GANDHI, HSBC Prosperity Hall
