She was speaking at the Goethe-Institut in the city’s Wan Chai district, where she was one of four panellists who met to discuss the topic “Civil Society, Art and Mental Balance” last month. She noted that the worldwide trend towards crafting and baking during lockdowns for Covid-19 spoke to the universal urge to cope with uncertainty and fear by doing something creative and productive.

“The number of young people now who are calling is greater, their distress is greater. For everyone simply there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Scofield.

“Children – young people, students – are being seen as performers so often by their families, and people have not got the listening the skills to recognise the early signs of depression and distress in them.” The youngest caller was just seven years old.

Professor Ng Siu-man, the deputy head of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at Hong Kong University, is a leading expert on health and social work.

His team conducted a number of surveys in Hong Kong and mainland China on the impact of Covid-19 on mental health. His findings echoed other studies which a point to a 20 to 30 per cent increase in the prevalence of post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety during the pandemic.

“We shouldn’t over-label these people with a mental disorder, it’s a normal reaction to this situation, but it doesn’t mean they don’t need help,” says Ng.

He noted that while the protests, which caused disagreements in families, and Covid-19 could both lead to post-traumatic stress, the impact of man-made disasters was usually longer lasting than that of natural disasters.

“With the protests, the most damaging aspect is that it creates intergroup conflict and hatred and that will take a long time to heal,” says Ng.

Wong Ka-ying, a Hong Kong artist and curator in her late 20s, says that she is aware of an increase in mental health issues among her peer group.

She points not only to the social movement and pandemic, but also to high unemployment and the seemingly hopeless future for young people in Hong Kong. She says young people feel older people often lack understanding.

“We are seeking empathy, not sympathy. As a creator myself, I’m creating art as a way to generate questions and to consolidate observations. Art is a bridge to connect people,” she says.

To that end, Wong Ka-ying curated a companion exhibition – which ran alongside the Goethe-Institut’s mental health talks – called “Tongueless”, which drew on the work of six Hong Kong artists, each of whom explored a personal and raw journey through identity, grief or loss.

“I’m glad that we can channel our pain and suffering into art, but it’s also important to know – and a reason why we do this sharing – that we are not alone, that there is someone to hear us and listen,” she says.

“Everyone will instinctively find a way to sublimate the pain and suffering, it is amazing and underrated. It’s not about the skills or techniques, it’s just the act of creating,” says Dr Wong.

“Rather than rush to the next thing to do, the first step from an emotionally healthy point of view is to stay with the emotions and let them marinate a bit. They are trying to tell you something. Don’t negate what you are feeling,” she says.

Scofield, whose first career was as a drama teacher at Island School, part of the network of English Schools Foundation fee-paying schools in Hong Kong, before she founded her Fetish Fashion store and become a counsellor specialising in sexual and gender diversity, says drama can be liberating.

“I found how you teach drama, allowing students to express themselves within drama and explore nitty gritty subjects, can be powerful,” she says.

Pandemic mental health support offered free of charge in Hong Kong

“If you have those three components in place then you will get a rainbow. Everyone’s angle of the eye is different, so everyone’s rainbow is different. Without the spectator there is no art,” says Dr Wong.

While Ng’s survey findings point to an increase in mental health issues, he is reassured by a noted increase in what he refers to as “post traumatic growth”, meaning the positive aspects and learning that sometimes follow a traumatic event.

He divides these into four areas: personal growth, interpersonal, spiritual and life orientation. He encourages participation in multichannel art – using any art form that feels comfortable.

Stress cooking while working from home, a Hong Kong professional gets in the flow

“Art could be many things related to daily life. The important thing is the need to slow down, increase our awareness, observe, appreciate,” says Ng.

Dr Wong seconds that. “Art is the best way to transform mental distress. We don’t have to be ill,” she says.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, or know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at +1 800 273 8255.