Caring for Mental Health After

Caring for Mental Health After the Japanese Tsunami

Caring for Mental Health Needs After a Natural Disaster: The Case of Japan

"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot," said the infamous comedian Charlie Chaplin. When we are locked within the depths of our own heads, we tend to become overwhelmed; yet, when we see life in general as experienced by a larger array of individuals, we can see that we are not alone in our suffering. Thus, the comic perspective allows people to feel less upset and stressed when the see the bigger picture, and when they understand that others in the world share their internal pain, which can undoubtedly be beneficial for those suffering from the mental stress of having lived through such a tragic natural disaster as the earthquake and tsunami were.

In many ways, the course of treatment should be similar to the efforts of American organizations after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. This is an example of the community coming together to address the pain of individuals after a tragic event. Project Liberty was introduced in 2006 to serve the needs of those still suffering from the after affects and mental stress of the 2011 attacks. The program focused on offering guidance of where to find affordable and reliable mental health services and providing referrals for insurance purposes. It spent time and effort working with existing services as a way to augment available treatment through the added support of volunteers and specially hired professionals working on a temporary basis to restore the quality of life back to the citizens of Japan.

However, the beginning of this type of treatment would need to be addressed much differently than in the United States, where there is less of a stigma against mental disorders. Due to the taboo of admitting mental issues, programs in Japan should focus on using traditional medicine to help support a growing need for mental health services. "In Japan where stigma and discrimination against individuals with mental disorders are common, general medical doctors and nurses should be the first line of support and treatment for individuals with mental health problems" said Dr. Sawa, a prominent doctor in the region. There must be special training programs for doctors and nurses to be able to help support psychiatric services on the initial temporary basis. This can work on empowering physicians and nurses to be able to diagnose and therefore recommend treatment for psychiatric conditions... This is essentially extending their roles within the care community, but it is needed in order to best serve the community within the short run. These programs need to focus on working primarily with restoring individuals quality of life before the earthquake disrupted so many people in Japan in 2011 by getting people to their normal functioning levels so they can continue to pick up the pieces of the disaster and move on, without the looming taboo of being stigmatized for life. Moreover, it will be important to provide support to those who most need it. This would include extending special services to those vulnerable populations who might have been even more stressed by the earthquake. To quote Dr. Sawa again, "the first concern was for individuals who had an established mental disorder prior to the earthquake and required ongoing treatment or acute attention because of the exacerbation of their mental condition in the wake of the disaster."