A seminar on "Decoding Mental Health" was conducted by the Psychological Services Group (PSG) and the Police College on February 2 with the aim of raising officers' understanding of mental health issues. Two guest speakers, former Senior Assistant Commissioner Tang How-kong and Professor Mak Wing-sze of the Department of Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, shared with officers their experience in overcoming mental health problems.

Mr Tang shared his struggles with depression after he retired from the Force. He was obsessed with negative thoughts, suffered from insomnia and even thought of committing suicide. With his wife's encouragement, Mr Tang sought psychiatric help. After several months of medication, he got an insight into his mental illness: his drive for perfectionism was putting him into a state of constant stress. He learned to accept his limitations and realised the importance of letting go and allowing oneself to "start over again".

Professor Mak has been committed to conducting research on stigmatisation against mental illnesses. She shared her experience of suffering from social anxiety during adolescence. This made her realise how the stigmas about mental disorder could be much more threatening than the disorder itself. She called on officers to use mindfulness to enhance their mental health. She also shared how to create a stigma-free workplace through the mindful use of language, empathy, validation of emotion, acceptance and non-judgemental attitude.