Chan demonstrate signs of psychosis, inquiry told

A psychiatrist told the Chan Yin-lam inquiry by the Coroner’s Court that Chan’s mental condition had deteroriated since August last year, including demonstrating signs of psychosis, oppositional defiant and conduct disorder. 

Chan Yin-lam, then 15, was found floating dead in September last year not far from the Hong Kong Design Institue in Tiu Keng Leung, where she studied. 

The court summoned psychiatrist Ho Mei-yi today as an expert witness on the 9th day of the trial on Chan’s case. 

Ho quoted from a 41-page report, which contains statements collected from Chan’s relatives, social workers and witnesses, evidence collected from CCTV footage of the institute where Chan studied and Chan’s medical and autopsy records at the court. 

The report said that Chan’s behavior was described as ‘unusual’ after she had been admitted to girl’s home, she said. 

Chan was reported to have torn down notices which read the rules and regulations from the wall, splashing water to her bed and jamming the emergency bell during her stay there, Ho said. 

But according to multiple people, Chan’s mental state was normal before August. 

Despite being found to have carried out self-harm acts in March during her stay in girl’s home, Chan explained that she acted that way just show her discontent with her social workers. 

The report also found that Chan’s father, had been admitted to the Castle Peak Hospital - Hong Kong’s oldest hospital, on and off for at least five times due to psychosis over the past decade. 

In October last year - a month after Chan had passed away, the mental state of Chan’s father deteriorated and screamed at home on multiple occasions. 

He was ordered to be admitted to Castle Peak early this year, and was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorders. He requires hospitalization for at least a year.