Hong Kong  - The number of people seeking psychiatric help in Hong Kong has risen by around one quarter since the onset of the economic crisis, a leading public doctor said Monday.

Patient numbers have risen by between 20 and 30 per cent since last October, mental health specialist Dr Lee Wing-king told government-run radio station RTHK.

Separately, a survey by the Democratic Alliance political party found that 80 per cent of people in the wealthy city of 7 million had suffered from insomnia or mood disorders because of the downturn.

Hong Kong slipped into a technical recession at the end of 2008. Share prices have slumped by 50 per cent since the beginning of 2008 and the city's jobless rate has risen to 5.2 per cent. (dpa)