One in Three Caregivers on the Verge of Mental Breakdown
Suicide Prevention Services’ Survey Exposes Alarming Suicide Risk Among Women,
Middle-aged, and Working Caregivers; Calls for 24/7 Crisis Support
(Hong Kong, April 6, 2025) – In alignment with the government’s elderly care policy promoting ageing in place, and in response to the growing challenges faced by caregivers, Suicide Prevention Services (SPS) today held the "2025 Caregiver Stress Survey Report Release Conference", unveiling the results of a comprehensive citywide survey. Conducted from October 2024 to February 2025 through door-to-door outreach and public engagement activities, the survey garnered 942 valid responses. Its primary aim was to identify hidden and high-risk caregivers and propose targeted, actionable support measures.
Nearly 80% of elderly people in need of long-term care live with their spouses or children, advocating for early intervention to prevent family tragedies.
According to the 2021 population census data, about 330,000 elderly in Hong Kong require long-term care, with more than half being aged 80 or above. Additionally, 79.7% live with their spouse or children, indicating that family members remain the primary caregivers. However, in recent years, there have been several tragic incidents involving caregivers, including a case in July 2024 where an 80-year-old husband in Lam Tin took his own life out of concern for his wife’s health, and a murder case in March of the same year in Kowloon Tong, where a wife was suspected of killing her husband, who suffered from dementia. These cases reveal the harsh reality and crisis of caregivers being pushed to the brink of physical and mental collapse.
High-stress caregivers face mental health crises.
The survey results showed that 37.4% (352 people) of the interviewed caregivers are in a "high-stress" state, indicating the severe impact of long-term caregiving on both physical and mental health. Notably, among this high-stress group, 40.3% (142 people) exhibited symptoms of depression or anxiety. Additionally, 16.5% (155 people) of the overall respondents reported having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, highlighting the close connection between caregiving stress and mental health crises.
Female and middle-aged caregivers experience the heaviest stress.
Caregivers from different backgrounds face significantly different challenges. Female caregivers bear especially heavy stress, with a high-stress ratio of 41.5% (312 people), far exceeding that of male caregivers at 21.6% (40 people). This highlights the dual constraints faced by female caregivers due to gender roles and traditional family divisions of labor. In terms of age, the difficulties of middle-aged caregivers are particularly concerning: among caregivers aged 34 to 54, more than half (50.4%) are in a high-stress state. Their rates of depression, anxiety, and risk of suicide or self-harm (10.8%) are higher than those of other age groups, indicating that middle-aged caregivers, while balancing work, family, and long-term caregiving responsibilities, are more likely to fall into a state of isolation and helplessness.
Nearly half of working caregivers face high caregiving stress.
The interaction between employment status and caregiving hours further exacerbates the stress. Among working caregivers, 50.1% (229 people) experience high stress. If the caregiving hours exceed 21 hours per week, the proportion of those facing depression, anxiety, and self-harm risks rises to 13.2%, reflecting the harsh reality of "working caregivers" who must juggle the demands of both the workplace and family. Additionally, while non-working caregivers generally experience lower stress, 31.6% (85 people) of those providing more than 21 hours of care per week still experience high stress, indicating that regardless of employment status, long hours of caregiving can lead to physical and mental exhaustion.
Professor Lam Chiu-wa, Linda, professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Non-official Member of the Elderly Commission and Psychiatrist), stated that a higher level of positive caregiving experience helps reduce emotional distress and suicidal thoughts in caregivers with moderate caregiving burdens. Effective interventions should be tailored to different risk groups.
To address this urgent issue, SPS has been promoting various elderly family support services since 2016. In October 2024, the organization received a donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to launch the three-year "Jockey Club Outreach and Counselling Services for Carers". Through community outreach and flexible services, the program aims to proactively identify hidden and high-risk caregivers, providing early intervention counseling and family coordination support, including flexible caregiving services, as well as individual and family counseling.
SPS has proposed four core service recommendations to improve the caregiver support system:
1. Carer-Friendly Employers: This includes flexible working hours, paid leave for accompanying medical visits, and the establishment of respite services for the elderly.
2. Case Management: Targeting medium to high-risk families, this aims to break the traditional framework of merely providing respite services or information support. In addition to connecting various resources, it also involves linking other family members, including the elderly, to provide a comprehensive caregiving model.
3. Flexible Services: Service providers are encouraged to offer flexible service hours, such as evening or weekend services. They can also combine various outreach services, including outreach counseling, online counseling, or one-on-one home services. These may include mindfulness exercises, breathing training, stretching guidance, and other personalized support, to meet the fragmented time needs of working caregivers.
4. Self-care: SPS urges caregivers to take good care of themselves, pay attention to their mental health, and balance work and family, laying a solid foundation for long-term caregiving.
About Suicide Prevention Services (SPS)
About Suicide Prevention Services (SPS) Founded in 1995, SPS is a registered charitable organization committed to serving people who are suicidal, despairing or distressed by means of befriending and other services supporting them to regain control of their emotions and the will to live on. SPS has been helped more than 1,100,000 people, providing services including: 24-hour Suicide Prevention Hotline Service, Suicide Prevention Service for the Elderly, Services for Family with Elderly, Services for Survivors of Sudden Death and Suicide Loss, Community Education and Life Education for Youth.
Photo Captions:
Photo 1:
Suicide Prevention Services(SPS) held the “Caregiver Stress Survey Report Release Conference” Attendees included Professor Lam Chiu-wa, Linda (second from the right), professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Non-official Member of the Elderly Commission and Psychiatrist); Mr. Vincent Ng Chi-kwan (left), Executive Director of SPS; Mr. Leon Yue Lee-on (right), Senior Program Manager of SPS; and Mr. Tsun Wai-tak (second from the left), Program Manager of SPS.
Photo 2: (from left to right)
1. Mr. Vincent Ng Chi-kwan, Executive Director of SPS
2. Mr. Tsun Wai-tak, Program Manager of SPS
3. Professor Lam Chiu-wa, Linda (second from the right), professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Non-official Member of the Elderly Commission and Psychiatrist)
4. Mr. Leon Yue Lee-on, Senior Program Manager of SPS
Photo 3:
Professor Lam Chiu-wa stated that caregivers with more positive caregiving experiences are better able to alleviate emotional distress and suicidal thoughts caused by moderate caregiving burdens. Therefore, relevant support and intervention measures should be tailored to meet the needs of different risk groups, providing appropriate intervention methods to enhance the effectiveness of support.
Photo 4:
Mr. Leon Yue Lee-on, Senior Program Manager of SPS, expressed a desire to provide comprehensive case management for caregivers, adjusting support based on their individual needs and the overall family situation. He hopes to act as a coordinator, ensuring that caregivers feel understood and supported, while also facilitating referrals to social resources based on specific case requirements.
Photo 5:
Mr. Vincent Ng Chi-kwan, Executive Director of SPS, noted that many caregivers are overwhelmed and exhausted due to a lack of support, often nearing emotional breakdown. The survey highlights the reality of caregivers struggling in isolation. Through the " Jockey Club Outreach and Counselling Services for Carers," we aim to provide more personalized assistance to high-stress, employed female caregivers with suicidal tendencies, addressing both knowledge and family aspects to expand their support network. He also urged caregivers to prioritize their mental and physical health and to take the courageous step of seeking help.
Photo 6:
Mr. Tsun Wai-tak, Program Manager of SPS, stated that in his community interactions with caregivers, he found that many are not unwilling to seek help, but simply do not know who to turn to. By the time they feel overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted, they often miss the critical window for early intervention. Through this survey, we aim to raise social awareness of the actual needs of hidden and high-risk caregivers. We also call on the government and industry to work together to establish a more comprehensive support network, including a 24-hour hotline, flexible service arrangements, and more practical assistance for employed caregivers, ensuring they are not left to struggle alone and truly have someone to walk alongside them.
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