JAPAN: 24% suffer some form of mental ills

Large-scale national study highlights depression, alcohol addiction, anxiety disorders By AKIRA OGAWA Kyodo News TOKYO (The Japan Times), April 22, 2008: Twenty-four percent of Japanese have suffered mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol abuse or addiction, but only 30 percent of them consulted a doctor. These alarming mental health statistics were revealed in a recent large-scale nationwide investigation that a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry research team carried out, led by Norito Kawakami, a University of Tokyo professor. As part of an international research project initiated by the World Health Organization, the team conducted a survey and received responses from about 4,100 people aged 20 and older in 11 cities and towns in six prefectures from 2002 to 2006. In all, about 85,000 people in 17 countries were surveyed in the WHO project. The municipalities involved were Tendo and Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture; Sano, Tochigi Prefecture; Isogo Ward, Yokohama; Okayama and Tamano, Okayama Prefecture; Nagasaki; and Kushikino and the towns of Higashiichiki and Fukiage, Kagoshima Prefecture. The percentage of Japanese mental illness patients was one-third that in the United States, half that in France and the Netherlands, and the same number as in Germany and France. "The prevalent rate in Japan might have been lower because Japanese replied with reserve," Kawakami said. "The social loss from mental illness is larger than from physical disorders," Kawakami said. "The problem is the lower consultation rate, and early checkups are encouraged." There have been few full-scale investigations into mental illness in Japan so far. This latest investigation was conducted with specially trained investigators interviewing people. Except for schizophrenia and developmental disorders that can only be diagnosed by medical specialists, the investigators checked patients for depression and other mood disorders, morbid fear and other anxiety disorders, and alcohol abuse and other addictions. Of those investigated, 24 percent were found to have suffered from psychological disorders sometime in their lives. Those suffering from alcohol abuse and addiction accounted for 10 percent of the total, the highest, followed by those suffering from depression, at 6 percent, and anxiety disorders, at 3 percent. Only 30 percent of those surveyed had consulted doctors, and less than 30 percent of those suffering from depression had checkups — conspicuously low rates among advanced countries with a high average income. Checkups are liable to be delayed because, one person said, "I can take care of myself." A second answered, "I don't know where to go." A third replied, "I don't want other people to know about my illness," and a fourth said, "I didn't think there is an effect." The investigators said the problem is a lack of knowledge and information about mental health, and general prejudice about the issue. It was also found that many people surveyed consulted with general practitioners. The investigation team is calling for tieups between general practitioners and psychiatrists in providing medical care to mentally ill patients. More than 30,000 Japanese have committed suicide each year since 1998, and the investigation found that 10 percent of those surveyed had seriously considered suicide. In the survey, people with depression and other mood disorders were found mostly among those aged 34 or younger. The trend of sharp increases in depression among young people is conspicuous in Japan and China. "This may be because of inept human relations with weakening social links and the progression of a lower birthrate," Kawakami said. The risk factors for depression are domestic violence in childhood, fear of social interaction, minor mental disorders and physical diseases. "Required for mental health are a wide variety of lifelong measures in regional communities and workplaces," a team investigator said. (C) The Japan Times Ltd.