An NGO that offers expressive arts therapy to improve people's mental well-being said demand for services has surged this year amid the fifth wave of the pandemic.

The Hong Kong Expressive Arts Therapy Service Centre said the number of those seeking assistance increased by two to three times from May to July, as people struggled to re-adjust to their daily life and work routines after the number of Covid-19 infections peaked here.

Canna Tang, the centre's founder, said the waiting time for therapy increased by one to two months, and the centre needed to recruit more therapists to meet higher demand.

She also said many people came to seek help after they showed symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Expressive arts therapy allows people to share their feelings in forms such as drawing, writing and music.

"Clients who we came across before with emotional disturbances told us that it was very difficult for them to use verbal language to express their own emotions. But using expressive arts, they can choose whatever art forms that can connect to themselves mostly to express their emotions," Tang explained.

In a survey conducted by the centre with the Chinese University's Department of Psychology, of the 106 participants suffering from depression and anxiety, nearly 40 percent of them have had their symptoms relieved after receiving expressive arts therapy.

In another survey, of 153 people aged 60 or above who participated, 44 percent said they stopped suffering from depression and 55 percent were no longer plagued by anxiety after therapy.

A woman surnamed But, who used to suffer from serious depression, said that expressive art allows her to connect with her inner self. "Art is a great tool to let our feelings be seen. This is important because being seen is a sign of acceptance," she said.