As famously announced by the first Director-General of the WHO, Dr Brock Chisholm, back in 1951, “without mental health there can be no true physical health”. Despite these remarks being made more than 70 years ago, mental health remains to be surrounded by societal taboo and stigma. Mental health has gained a lot more prominence with the COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar aims to showcase cutting-edge sociolinguistic research on mental health and stigma. This research centres on the lived experiences of those who go through mental health issues and stigma. The short papers presented in this webinar will focus on how people communicate about and make sense of their mental health experiences and stigma. The webinar will highlight research being conducted in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom in collaboration with Mind Hong Kong, a mental health NGO, and City Mental Health Alliance Hong Kong, a workplace mental health organization. Papers will address the topics of mental health and stigma amongst different populations such as end-of-life care workers; new university graduates entering the workforce; working mothers; and mental health ambassadors. It will also discuss media constructions of mental health pre- and post-pandemic. The webinar will consider the implications of sociolinguistic research for challenging our existing understandings of mental health and for developing practical advice for the healthcare and volunteer sectors.

 

Dr. Olga Zayts, HKU RIICH Director, School of English, HKU

Mental health discourses in an online support group for mothers during COVID-19

Dr. Zoe Fortune, ‘Mental Health and Communication’ Research Cluster Leader, HKU RIICH, HKU

Understanding graduates’ mental health during workplace transitions

Prof. Sylvia Jaworska, University of Reading, UK

Media constructions of mental health in Hong Kong: What has changed pre and during the pandemic

Dr. David Edmonds, HKU RIICH, School of English, HKU

Sources of adverse emotions and mental health for end-of-life care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ms. Stephanie Ng, HKU RIICH, School of English, HKU

Exploring forms and functions of mental health recovery narratives and their implications for narrator wellbeing

Discussant: Ms. Odile Thiang, Mind HK Lead Clinical Advisor - Anti-Stigma Programme

 

Those who successfully registered will receive an email with Zoom link before the event.