Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: mental health advocate who saved suicidal teen

Mental health advocate Minal Mahtani, founder of OCD & Anxiety Support Hong Kong, has been named a finalist in the community category of the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards. Mahtani wants to improve referrals between hospitals, community mental health services, and specialist charities to help people receive timely support before they reach crisis point.

In Hong Kong, people assessed as stable can face long waits for psychiatric care, while community centers may lack the specialized techniques needed for conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety.

Mahtani's organization offers monthly peer-support groups, affordable counselling, yoga, art therapy, and sound healing. She started support group meetings in 2014 after losing a cousin to suicide, aiming to create a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space for people to feel understood and less alone. Despite the stigma surrounding mental health issues, Mahtani sees increasing openness.

When she first promoted World Mental Health Day in 2015, some people returned green ribbons out of fear of being associated with mental illness; however, the campaign now attracts 40 to 50 volunteers annually.

In an acute case, Mahtani received a call from a mother whose 14-year-old son was threatening to take his own life. She stayed on the phone with the teen while rushing to the scene and persuaded him to step away from the ledge. The boy is now at university in the UK and continues to send updates to Mahtani. Mahtani emphasizes the importance of looking out for each other during difficult times and shares that "if we don't share, nobody knows."