The role of general practitioners in re-building whole person wellness of university students during protests in Hong Kong : a case study

Abstract

Until the unexpected and prolonged protests that began in June 2019 arising from the Extradition Bill, Hong Kong was recognized as an international city enjoying prosperity and stability. Since then, various studies have shown that the unrest seriously impaired the physical as well as mental well-being of the general public, and particularly of the younger generation who carried most of the movement. In this paper, we present the case of a patient showing surface physical symptoms to illustrate the need for holistic treatment. With reference to the process of traditional Chinese poetry composition, it is argued that beyond the treatment of each physical or mental health symptom, a holistic intervention approach should be adopted to reconstruct whole person wellness. The paper also calls attention to the important role of general medical practitioners in the context of the recent social unrest especially dealing with the aftermath, and argues that a holistic approach results in longer-lasting results for patients with complex issues.