Psychosis and Schizophrenia in Hong Kong

Psychosis and Schizophrenia in Hong Kong covers some of the most serious mental health conditions that top the global disease burden and affect 3% of the general population. However, most research on psychotic disorders is undertaken in the West, and few studies have been systematically carried out in Asia despite global interest in regional differences. This work offers a unique and coherent account of these disorders and their treatment in Hong Kong over the last thirty years.

Chen and his research programme's pioneering work has ranged from the impact of early intervention on outcomes and relapse prevention, to the renaming of psychosis to reduce stigma. The studies have contributed to wider international debates on the optimal management of the condition. Their investigations in semantics and cognition, as well as cognition-enhancing exercise interventions, have provided novel insights into deficits encountered in psychotic disorders and how they might be ameliorated. The research has also explored subjective experiences of psychosis and elicited unique perspectives in patients of Asian origin.

Each topic is divided into three sections: a global background of the challenges encountered; research findings from Hong Kong; and reflections that place the data in scientific and clinical contexts and offer future directions.

Eric Yu Hai Chen, MD (Edin), FRCPsych (UK), MB ChB (Edin), MA (Oxon), is professor of Psychiatry at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, and senior consultant at the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore. He is internationally recognised for his work in youth mental health, early intervention of psychosis, cognition, psychopathology, and functional outcomes in psychotic disorders.

Yvonne Treffurth, MD (Freiburg, Germany), MA (Warw), MRCPsych (UK), State Exam (Göttingen), is a child and adolescent psychiatrist affiliated with the University of Hong Kong. She has an interest in conceptual and cultural aspects of psychiatric practice, psychotherapeutic approaches, early intervention, and innovative models of care.

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