Mental Health in the Workplace Campaign-
Mood Disorders (Part 1)

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A good understanding of Mood Disorders helps identify their relationship to the mental well-being of Police officers. Mood Disorders refer to disorders of which the predominant feature is disturbance in mood. They are characterised by at least four consecutive weeks of mood disturbance episodes which cause clinically significant distress or impairment of daily routine, such as declining work efficiency, deteriorating family relationship, social withdrawal and neglect of pleasurable avocations. In addition to prominent and persistent disturbance in mood, the individuals will also exhibit symptoms both emotionally (increased irritability, anxiety and tension, depressed mood) and physically (headache, sleeping difficulty, tiredness and other somatic complaints). A review of recent surveys indicates that one out of five Hong Kong people suffers from disturbance in mood at a certain level of severity.

Some people misunderstand that Mood Disorders are only predisposed by malpractice in stress management, 'craven' personality, biased thinking or merely a problem of the mind. Nevertheless, studies reveal that the manifestation of Mood Disorders is a complex issue. Apart from personal characteristics (rigidity and inflexibility, perfectionism, pessimism) and social factors (excessive stress, financial strain, unemployment, family problems and unpleasant experiences), medical research demonstrates that the imbalance of chemical neurotransmitters (particularly serotonin) in our brain also plays a major role for the development of Mood Disorders. Simply encouraging an individual to exercise will-power or to be more open-minded may not be sufficient for effective treatment. What, then, are the appropriate ways in which to manage Mood Disorders?

We will further explore the relationship between stress of Police work and Mood Disorders, as well as the existing treatment options for such disorders in the coming article.

(Extract from an article authored by Miss Kathleen Kwok, Clinical Psychologist of Hong Kong Mood Disorders Center)

Advanced Stress Management Workshop - Management of Emotions

PSG will organise a workshop on 'Management of Emotions' for participants to gain awareness into the relationship between their own thoughts and emotions, and to learn a set of skills to manage their negative emotions. It will take place on Saturday, May 17 from 9am to 5pm at the Hong Kong Office, PSG, 5/F, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Maximum number of participants is 20 selected on a first-come-first-served basis. To register contact PSG at 2866-6207.
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