Comic competition enhances public understanding of early psychosis

26 June 2010

To raise public awareness of psychotic disorders, the Jockey Club Early Psychosis Project (JCEP), an initiative funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, has recently staged a comic competition calling on society to pay attention to early psychosis through illustrations created by students and the general public.  Today (26 June), the Club's Executive Director, Charities, Legal & Corporate Secretariat, Douglas So, joined JCEP Project Director Eric Chen and other guests at the JCEP Comic Competition Award Presentation Ceremony.

Mr So noted JCEP had organised a wide array of activities including talks, exhibitions, competitions and multimedia information channels to spread healthy tip on early psychosis to the general public to eliminate misunderstanding and bias towards the illness. It had also disseminated information through interactive online platforms.

"I'm delighted to take part in the JCEP Comic Competition Award Presentation Ceremony," he commented. "This event has encouraged students and the public to make use of their creativity and talents through comics while calling on society to pay attention to early psychosis."

The comic contest is one of the public education activities being organised by JCEP to enhance people's understanding of early psychosis, the symptoms of the illness and the difficulties encountered by patients and their families.  It is also aimed at spreading positive messages of recovery.  A total of more than 70 entries were received in the open and student competitions.  The winners were selected by a judging panel including well-known cartoonist Zunzi and representatives from the Hong Kong Society of Illustrators and the JCEP Organising Committee. The winning entries will be displayed at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre L1 Gallery from now until 29 June.

The Club's Charities Trust has donated around HK$69 million to The University of Hong Kong's Psychiatry Department to lead the five-year JCEP initiative in collaboration with the Hospital Authority, Caritas-Hong Kong and the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong.  A multi-disciplinary team has been set up to serve local early psychosis patients, comprising social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and researchers.

To fulfil its pledge to increase public awareness and acceptance of psychotic patients, JCEP provides individualised phase-specific intervention services, community-based group programmes, a series of sustained community education initiatives, enhanced training to develop a core group of professionals capable of treating early psychosis, and a network of mental health gatekeepers skilled in the early detection of warning signals and in making appropriate referrals.  It also conducts evidence-based research and evaluation of the outcome and efficacy of these programmes.

For more information about JCEP and early psychosis, please visit the website: www.jcep.hk

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become one of Hong Kong's best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city's major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city's growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.