2001 Health Labour Sciences Research Grant(Special Research Program for Welfare Science, Japan)
Translated by JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency

Guidelines for Local Mental Health Care
Activities after a DisasterPreface
In the wake of recent natural disasters such as the Great Hanshin Earthquake Disaster(January 17, 1995) and disasters due to human crime or accident, the public as well as
specialists in mental health in Japan have become keenly aware of the need for post-disaster
psychological care, and a variety of practical work has been performed. In order to widely
share what has been clarified through that experience, and link it to better programs in the
future, we have drawn up these "Guidelines for Local Mental Health Care Activities after a
Disaster." Posttraumatic stress and various other psychological reactions occur after a disaster,and it is vital to ensure not only accurate diagnosis, but also continued comprehensive
provision of mental health care.
These guidelines are designed for the integration of all types of programs, withproposals based on accomplishing what is possible amid the chaos of a disaster situation. We
have included with as much specificity as possible what has been learned in actual practice up
to now about first contact, the importance of natural recovery from trauma, responding tomulticultural contexts, and cooperation with volunteers and the press.
We hope that these guidelines will be widely used in disaster situations, and that thefurther experience of many caregivers will lead to their improvement in the future.
January 17, 2003
Yoshiharu Kin
Author, "Future Directions for Mental Support in Light of the Classroom Killing andWounding Incident"
2001 Welfare Science Labour Sciences Research Grant Recipient (Special Research Program
for Welfare Studies)
Permanent Position: Director, Adult Mental Health Section, Mental Health Research Center,
National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan

Drafting Committee (in alphabetical order of the family name)
Abe Yukihiro
Araki Hitoshi
Fujita Masako
Iwai Keiji
Kato Hiroshi
Nagai Naoko
Watabiki Kazuhiro
Yamamoto Kohei

Counseling Supervisor, Hokkaido Mental Health Welfare Center
Manager, Health Service Disease Control Division, Ibaraki
Prefecture Health and Welfare Department
Mental Health and Welfare Specialist, Hyogo Prefectural Mental
Health and Welfare Center
Assistant Professor, Educational Clinic, School Teaching
Department, Hyogo University of Teacher Education
Research Director, Institute for Traumatic Stress, Hyogo Research
Organization for Human Care
Health Policy Director, Wakayama Municipal Public HealthCenter; Assistant Councilor
Chief Investigator, Welfare Division for the Physically / Mentally
Challenged, Ibaraki Prefecture Health and Welfare Division
Chief Investigator, Health Policy Section, Wakayama Municipal
Public Health Center; Mental Health and Welfare Counselor

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
I. The Need for Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster ....................................................... 1
1. Disaster Experiences and Local Mental Health Care Activities ........................................ 1
2. Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster ......................................................................... 2
1) Policies for Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster ................................................. 22) The Need for Patience.................................................................................................... 2
II. Psychological Reactions after a Disaster............................................................................... 3
1. Types of Psychological Burdens ........................................................................................ 3
1) Mental Trauma............................................................................................................... 32) Grief, Loss, Anger, Guilt.............................................................................................. 3
3) Social and Lifestyle Stress ........................................................................................... 3
2. Types of Psychological Reactions...................................................................................... 4
1) Initial Period (One month after the disaster).................................................................. 4
Note: The First Few Days .................................................................................................. 52) Long Term (After the first month)................................................................................. 6
III. Development of Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster ................................................ 7
1. Planning for Mental Health Care at the Disaster Relief Headquarters .............................. 7
2. Initial Response (During the first month) .......................................................................... 7
1) Practical responses and mental health............................................................................ 82) The immediate response – First Contact........................................................................ 83) Screening for people who need observation .................................................................. 84) Psychological first aid.................................................................................................... 95) Medical screening ........................................................................................................ 10
6) Public information ....................................................................................................... 107) Counseling hotline ....................................................................................................... 118) Dealing with PTSD ...................................................................................................... 11
3. Natural Recovery from Trauma ....................................................................................... 121) Conditions that encourage natural recovery ................................................................ 132) Factors that impede natural recovery........................................................................... 13
4. Liaison with Outside Volunteers...................................................................................... 141) Assistance policy should be set by the Disaster Relief Headquarters ......................... 142) Contact with residents should be controlled by the Disaster Relief Headquarters ...... 143) Surveys by outside groups should be controlled by the Disaster Relief Headquarters 15
5. Working with the Press .................................................................................................... 151) The importance of informational assistance from the press ........................................ 152) Risk of triggering PTSD through newsgathering......................................................... 153) Dealing with the press.................................................................................................. 15
6. Multicultural Issues .......................................................................................................... 16
7. Mental Health of Relief Workers ..................................................................................... 161) Background .................................................................................................................. 162) Stress factors for relief workers ................................................................................... 163) Psychological reactions of relief workers .................................................................... 174) Countermeasures.......................................................................................................... 18

IV. Things to Start Doing Now ................................................................................................ 18
1) Public education about mental health care and disasters ............................................. 182) Mental health care simulations during disaster drills .................................................. 193) Arranging funding for mental health care.................................................................... 194) Making mental trauma care part of routine mental health services ............................. 195) Training for mental health care providers.................................................................... 19
Checklist for Necessity of Observation (Immediately after disaster event)............................. 21
Glossary.................................................................................................................................... 22

Introduction
When a disaster occurs there are many kinds of psychological effects upon numerous
residents of the area, and it is therefore necessary to provide mental health care services at the
local level, under the leadership of a local government bodies, a public health center, or amental health and welfare center. We hope the items presented in these guidelines will becarefully noted by the physicians, public health officers, nurses, mental health and welfare
staff, and other specialists and officials involved in those services.
In these guidelines, a disaster is taken to be an event with serious effects felt not only
by individuals but by the entire area, and quite possibly an event that disrupts the basic lifesupport services of the area. In other words, it is an event that necessitates not only specificresponses to individuals who are suffering effects, but also measures which serve the entire
community of persons living in the area. Specifically, the range of disasters can include anearthquake, flood or other natural disaster, or fire, accident, environmental contamination, or acriminal act. Some examples from the recent past are the release of sarin gas in the Tokyo
subway, the Hanshin Earthquake, the poisoning of a curry pot at a community festival in
Wakayama, and the uranium criticality accident in Tokaimura.

I. The Need for Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster1. Disaster Experiences and Local Mental Health Care Activities
As a terrible event that almost nobody has expected, a disaster inflicts heavy
psychological burdens. Family members may be killed, or there may be the pain and sorrowof losing home and belongings (loss and grief reactions). Moreover, the aftermath may bringmajor life changes and uncertainty about future life, making everyday realities stressful.
Above all, those who are most vulnerable to disaster including the elderly, infants, the ill orwounded, and the handicapped, may have great difficulty coping with life after the disasterand suffer from higher levels of stress. In particular, the interruption of medical treatment in
the wake of the disaster, certainly for mental disorders and also for physical disorders, cannegatively affect the patient's mental health. Further, during the disaster people may witness
the occurrence of death or injury, or personally feel the physical effects of an earthquake orfire, causing a shock that is permanently engraved on the psyche and may return in the formof flashbacks.
Mental changes that commonly result from the above include depression, loss ofmotivation, insomnia, loss of appetite, crying spells, irritability, lower ability to concentrate,
poor memory, and stupor. Usually such states are temporary and recovery is natural, but if thestress is prolonged they can become long-term. Depending on the extent and duration of thesymptoms, they may be diagnosed as a mental disorder such as bipolar disorder, panic attacks,
or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such symptoms have been known to be associatedwith suicide or accidents, increased use of alcohol or tobacco, family or neighborhood discord,delay in recovering normal life and, in some cases, socially deviant behavior. One example isthat a person tends to make trouble when people go out of their way to come and provide care,and gradually becomes a recluse.
These types of changes can arise without a disaster, from ordinary isolated accidents
or crime experiences, but when there is a disaster and the suffering extends to the entire
family and community, city blocks are reduced to rubble or ash and routine life is completely

1disrupted, then individual psychological reactions become magnified. Moreover, in the wakeof a disaster there are numerous victims, and the normal health care system, which may wellbe physically ruined, cannot smoothly deal with them. The freedom to utilize the health caresystem as one pleases may be lost, or the entire system may be in chaos. Furthermore, as theentire neighborhood focuses its attention mainly on the nuts and bolts of rebuilding their lives,
people may not notice their own invisible stress or mental symptoms.
In providing local mental health care services after a disaster, we must devise
strategies based on these circumstances. In providing services, while keeping in mind themental stress factors in the community, the symptoms presented and differentiation of
conditions, we must also strive to improve efficiency as time passes after the disaster.

2. Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster1) Policies for Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster
There are two main types of local mental health care activities following a disaster:
(1)

(2)

Activities within the chain of general assistance programs which are designed to
improve the mental health of the entire community as a group and to reduce the stressand mental trauma (explained in section II below) of the group.
Prevention, early detection and treatment of particular mental disorders.

(1) consists mainly of ordinary assistance givers and local mental health treatment
staff going to the disaster area in outreach activities (see glossary), delivery of disaster-related
information, and psychology education for the general public (see glossary). In addition,practical assistance for disaster recovery and life support in itself helps to improve the mental
health of the community. (2) consists mainly of screening individuals with mental disorders,encouraging people to come for consultations, psychology education for individuals (seeglossary), and referrals to specialists. Effective performance of (1) can serve to prevent themental conditions under (2).
To begin with, most relief workers entering the scene immediately after the disasterwill not be medical personnel. Even among medical personnel, few are likely to haveexperience handling people with disorders like PTSD. Yet for the first one to two weeks orlonger, (1) will be the main focus, and so it is not really necessary to have sufficientknowledge for handling such disorders. The health level of the community will be enhanced
as relief workers enter the scene to meet and talk with survivors and victims and respond totheir actual needs. At the same time they will need to distribute information about the scopeand extent of the disaster and recovery efforts. During this period mental conditions are stillchangeable so it is difficult to proceed to diagnosis of disorders. Therefore, rather thanmaking diagnoses, aid from the standpoint of (2) should be directed toward alleviating statesof confusion, excitement and disorientation. Non-medical relief workers (hereafter, lay
workers) should be trained to recognize, understand and offer simple responses to such states
and to call in specialists when needed. When mental health professionals make contact withthe residents, it will not be very hard for them to identify which people in those states haveserious symptoms. Disaster conditions aside, it is sufficient for them to perform normal,
routine mental health care activities, case work and consultations.
2) The Need for Patience2For a time it was asserted that the special technique of debriefing (see glossary) had tobe performed, but this is now discredited. It has been internationally recognized that suchgratuitous "treatment" is likely to aggravate psychological aftereffects. Instead it is best to
perform routine mental health care activities with full confidence. The single most importantneed with regard to such activities is continuity. It is absolutely essential to avoid having theperson who provides mental health care today disappear tomorrow. People with close ties tothe neighborhood must carry the core of this work.
Yet amid the special situation of a disaster area, it can be quite difficult to carry out
normal, routine mental health care activities. To begin with it is not known who among thesurvivors needs what type of assistance. Taking stock of people's situations and providing
counseling will have to be done in cooperation with people of various backgrounds, perhaps
with people who are not mental health specialists. Sometimes upon arrival at the disasterscene, while it is necessary to get down to work, the first requirement is liaison andcoordination among a crowd of mental health relief workers who suddenly pour in from theoutside or from the local area. In this regard, measures must be taken not so much toward thesurvivors as toward the mental health care providers themselves. It is necessary to stop andfigure out how best to perform mental heath care in an extraordinary situation. In practice, if
one encounters a citizen in need of mental health care, the best way to avoid confusion is tocontact a mental health care practitioner who has roots in the area.

II. Psychological Reactions after a Disaster
1. Types of Psychological Burdens
1) Mental Trauma(1) Physical experience of disaster (shaking or sound of earthquake, flames or heat of fire,noise or hot blast of explosion, etc.)(2) Suffering due to disaster (injury, death of loved one, damage to home, etc.)(3) Witnessing of disaster (corpses, fires, collapsed houses, disoriented people, etc.)
2) Grief, Loss, Anger, Guilt(4) Grief over bereavement, injury, loss of household(5) Guilt (survivor's guilt, unresolved issues)(6) Anger toward surroundings (assistance delays, confusing information, etc.)(7) Anger toward organizations or persons seen as responsible for an accidental disaster, or
toward persons involved in a criminal incident
3) Social and Lifestyle Stress(8) Evacuation and relocation (new living environment, group living)(9) Breakdown of life routines (school, work, neighborhood, customary health care, caresystems for children, elderly, handicapped)(10) Burden of new relationships and information (contacting people to receive information
or assistance, processing information received)(11) Burden of receiving attention as a survivor (being seen by others, worrying about being
the object of sympathy or curiosity)• Explanations3

1)

Mental Trauma (Shock from actual experience of disaster events): The strong direct
stimulus of a disaster event leaves the sympathetic nervous system is in an overstimulated state. This brings heightened anxiety and fear, inability to take in the entire
scene in front of one's eyes, focusing of attention on the most fear-inducing stimulus,
and acute memory of the disaster scenes and fears which are deeply engraved in themind. Those memories may come up of their own accord over and over again as
flashbacks that the person cannot control, and return the person to the same distress as
the actual horrific moment. This condition is called mental trauma (hereafter, trauma).
The causative factors, in addition to the shaking, pain, flames, heat or other things thatwere personally experienced, may also include sufferings of others that the person
witnessed. Strong shock can be caused by witnessing the death or injury of a loved one,the collapse of one's home, or seeing a corpse (especially if it is seriously wounded or
mutilated). Even if there are no flashback episodes, such experience can lead to loss ofmotivation, depressiveness, anxiety, insomnia, decreased appetite, or accidents due toinattentiveness.

2)

Grief, Loss, Anger, Guilt: Practical judgment may be numbed by shock and confusionin the immediate aftermath, but gradually the injury, loss, and uncertainty about the
future tend to show up as practical problems. After the initial disorientation andexcitability have settled down, serious feelings of loss and sorrow may come to the fore.
Whether or not one is actually a victim, there may be a sense that somehow one is at
fault. Especially when a loved one has died, a person may be beset by a sense of heavy
obligation for being the one who survived (survivor's guilt), or a feeling of having been
unable to do the right thing. And at the same time, resentment at the fate that has
befallen them may lead to anger toward relief workers or other people around them.

3)

Social and Lifestyle Stress: Stress induced by a new living environment. Increases invarious sorts of physical or mental malaise, indefinite complaints, insomnia, irritability,
etc. are to be expected. When a large group of displaced people live together in a
gymnasium or other public facility for a long time, issues arise concerning privacy, theliving space (food, toilets, garbage, duty assignments), care for children, the elderly andthe handicapped, and measures taken against infectious diseases. Shielding personal
lives from news reporters is another important issue.

2. Types of Psychological Reactions
1) Initial Period (One month after the disaster)
PTSD centering on flashback episodes is a reaction that is characteristic among
disaster survivors, but the diagnosis of this disorder cannot be made until at least one monthafter the event. Symptoms tend to be unstable during the initial period, so psychiatricdiagnosis would be difficult. Therefore survivor difficulties during the initial period are
generally regarded as stress reactions, and while allowing time for natural recovery, it is best
to focus on disseminating information and giving specific assistance to resolve practicaluncertainties, while treating serious symptoms of insomnia, anxiety or the like withmedication or consultation. Nevertheless, during the process of recovery from initial stress
reactions, anxiety or carelessness can lead to unexpected accidents or secondary incidents,
hence it is necessary from the start to build sufficient public awareness, through informationand education, about psychological changes and prospects of recovery. Informing the public

4and providing assistance in the initial stage will not only lower the anxiety level of the area,
but also reduce long-term problems such as alcoholism.
If there is a strong stress reaction and an especially heavy psychological burden, or if
the individual has been vulnerable (see glossary), there can be onset and recurrence of typicalmental conditions including depression, anxiety disorder, panic, dementia and schizophrenia.
Also, previously unnoticed dementia may be recognized through a recurrence of nightdelirium. A person already under treatment for a nervous disorder may worsen due to theshock of the disaster or interruption of medication. In particular, sudden interruption of
epilepsy suppressant medication may be followed by seizures after 48 hours. It should be
noted that treatment of these common mental conditions is all in a day's work for aprofessional mental health caregiver.
Note: The First Few Days
During this phase people show symptoms that are variegated and in most cases
transient, so strict diagnosis would have little meaning. Also, at this time it is very hard for amental health professional to interview people, as in most cases contact is made by a lay
worker. Hence the following classification is practical.
(1) Practical Anxiety Pattern
Practical anxiety comes from not knowing the cause, scale or extent of the disasterdamage or what kind of assistance is available. It will be aggravated by such issues as rescueof family members, firefighting activities, or delayed evacuation. The symptoms are by nomeans always visible to others, but are often kept inside. Alleviating practical anxiety as far as
possible is the most important way to prevent a later psychological reaction. The best
response is to determine exactly what sort of suffering each person is facing and what he or
she needs.
(2) Distracted Pattern
Inability to calm down or be still, caused by strong anxiety. Speech and behavior lose
coherence. Forgetting what one has set out to do and turning to something unrelated.
Palpitations, shortness of breath, or heavy perspiration may be seen. There may be emotional
turbulence with agitated, angry outbursts or sudden crying. For treatment, it is essential toensure rest and quiet sleep. Practical problems causing anxiety should be promptly resolved.
(3) Stupefied Pattern
Caused by unanticipated terror or shock. The appearance, at first glance, that thinking
and feeling are numbed or stopped. Little speech or action, questions go unanswered, needed
items in plain sight are ignored. Inability to understand what's going on, or to remember
names or faces. The individual's own experience is of having lost touch with reality, andbeing unable to speak even when there is something to say. Though the condition may be
mistaken as "very calm," the person feels intense sadness and fear on the inside. This patternshould be considered especially for people who "don't react" or "seem extremely calm."

52) Long Term (After the first month)
In the long term, it is likely that some people's symptoms will become chronic and
PTSD or other psychological disorders will linger. In the wake of disasters and wide-area
crime incidents in Japan, the most violently affected districts have shown a 30 to 40%
incidence of PTSD (including partial PTSD – see glossary) within six months. About half ofthese cases subsided naturally, but the other half were chronic. In temporary housing
populations after the Hanshin Earthquake, in several instances there was a 10 to 20%
incidence of PTSD after one year. Besides PTSD, long term problems may include
chronically lowered ability to concentrate, social maladjustment, and stronger reliance on
alcohol.
By this time, alongside efforts to alleviate stress and trauma for the group as a whole,
the focus has fundamentally shifted toward professional treatment of individuals who show
symptoms. In principle that treatment could be shifted into normal health care facilities, but aslong as evacuation centers are still operating, it may be necessary to include them in theassistance system or at least deploy response teams.
As time passes after the disaster, the mental health of the community as a whole will
recover and reconstruction of the area will advance, and yet those people whose psychologicalburdens were heaviest may well be slow to recover, and be left behind. Each person's
recovery will proceed at his or her own speed. In other countries, survivors of forest fires havebeen reported to suffer from PTSD for up to several years, with some cases persisting for
longer. These people are agonized by memories that will not fade, by suffering they cannot
put behind them. In some areas, the suffering may remain in people's memories and assistancewill have to keep being provided to those who suffered directly. Certainly if a local mental
health care professional still encounters complaints of psychological damage when more thana year has passed, it cannot be considered an extraordinary situation.
Lastly, there are the problems of the relief workers themselves. Giving the best
possible assistance always means reducing the stress on the providers and keeping fatigue to aminimum. Of course stress will arise if the workers themselves, or their families, are disastervictims, or if they have come a great distance and are living away from home for a long
period. The topic of assistance providers is covered further in the last section of theseguidelines.

6III. Development of Local Mental Health Care after a Disaster
1. Planning for Mental Health Care at the Disaster Relief Headquarters
It is important to have a psychiatrist familiar with local mental health care services,such as the director of the public mental health center, on the staff of the Disaster Relief
Headquarters from the time it is established. In cases up to now where mental health care
activities have been successful, they started within a day or two of the disaster, and the
Headquarters issued announcements and named a supervisor for psychological response.
Conversely, in cases where the policy is to call in a psychiatrist if and when the need arises,
there is likely to be a delay in recognizing that the need exists, and a significant backlog ofproblems by the time a psychiatrist is added to the planning staff.
The main roles of the psychiatrist at the Disaster Planning Headquarters should be:• Determining the Headquarters policy for mental health care activities• Assessing the mental health situation among disaster survivors, based on reports fromassistance providers on the scene• Providing advice on mental health care activities to the various assistance providers on
the scene• Providing mental health care services for the various assistance providers on the scene
In addition, in order to effectively perform local mental health care services, it isimportant to provide a degree of discretionary authority to a mental health care supervisor on
the scene (a professional from a public health center or mental health and welfare center).
Because people's mental states can shift rapidly in response to news reports, fresh incidents,
or secondary events, the care system should be flexibly adaptable. Specifically, modifications
guided by on-the-scene determinations must be possible regarding the organization of local
visits, selection of locations to visit, frequency of visits, decisions to stop visits, coordination
with mental health staff from outside the area, and the degree of reliance on professional
advice. In a past situation, even though almost everyone in evacuation centers had returned totheir homes, the decision to stop making the rounds at the centers was delayed, and there was
not enough staff available to perform the necessary home visits.
A critical element is the way in which the special health care activities which were set
up on a temporary basis after the disaster, including visits to evacuation centers and theopening of special counseling facilities and hotlines, will be terminated so that the work load
can be shifted smoothly to the normal local mental health care facilities. That process shouldbe accomplished in such a way, with adequate public announcements and explanations, that it
does not look like the disaster-related mental health program is being pulled back. The publicmust be clearly informed that even though the special counseling sites and phone lines areclosed, disaster-related counseling remains available through the regular channels for mental
health care. When reverting to the normal health care framework, guaranteeing thecontinuation of services for people affected by the disaster usually requires special budget andstaffing arrangements.

2. Initial Response (During the first month)
Guidelines for responding to the crisis must be followed for at least the first fourweeks after the disaster. Thereafter it can be expected that the necessary information will be
7

available, teams for professional assistance will be formed, and advice will be available fromother areas. Still the nature of the area or the disaster could make the situation unusual,requiring special measures which match the actual circumstances. Following are the common
elements that should be considered in making the initial response.
1) Practical responses and mental health
Immediately after a disaster has struck, the area residents will feel the anguish of
actual damage which may include death or injury or loss of home, and at the same time will
feel indescribable terror and unease over the fate that has suddenly befallen them. With regard
to the anguish arising from actual damage, the best response is to take whatever practicalmeasures are obviously required. Issues of survival, bodily health and living arrangements
must of course be speedily resolved as the precondition for starting to deal with anxiety orother psychological reactions. But since those steps alone will not be enough to alleviate all of
the terror, worry or other reactions, it is important to keep mental health issues in mind while
responding to the urgent practical problems.
For example, after the Tokaimura criticality accident, people who feared they had
been exposed to radiation were offered individual radioactivity measurements through thefirst several days. That prompt practical response to issues of survival and bodily healthsubstantially relieved the anxieties of the area residents.
2) The immediate response – First Contact"First contact" means meeting and talking with survivors as soon as possible after the
event by visiting them at the disaster scene and evacuation centers.
As a rule, the early responders making first contact should be people who have served
the needs of the local population on previous occasions. Naturally the immediate priorities
will be rescue, firefighting and life support, and the responders who go through the site first to
seek people out should be led when possible by people with local experience.
While carrying out first contact, when possible the responders should try to identify
individuals who are under especially strong stress and provide basic mental healthinformation (availability of psychological services). Refer to the following paragraphs onscreening and emergency treatment.
The value of first contact lies in its being done as soon as possible after the disasterevent. If it is delayed, people will be left in anxiety, despair and confusion. It is also important
for responders to inform the public that they should move to special locations whereassistance will be available, and delivering that information will give the survivors a sense ofconfidence about assistance activities afterward. During the acute stage, although numerous
relief workers may go through the site, there may well be some residents who are not foundby a first-contact team. With the relief teams under intense performance pressure, somepeople may not receive first-contact attention even when responders reach their locations. The
Disaster Relief Headquarters should obtain comprehensive information on the progress offirst-contact activities and the resulting assessments of the stress levels affecting people invarious locations. That capability will depend on prior disaster preparedness, including
policies and coordination to promote the delivery of mental health care by teams of people
with varying backgrounds.
3) Screening for people who need observation

8

While it is essential to take note of serious symptoms and identify people in urgent
need of mental care, at the initial stage professional diagnosis will probably be impossible
because most first responders are laypeople. Nevertheless, even the layperson can perform apreliminary screening for cases where observation is necessary, and maintain a list of people
who need psychological first aid (see the next paragraph). Ideally, lay responders should be
informed as early as possible about screening, and furnished with a checklist of indications of
the need for observation, and their briefing must contain guidance on privacy considerations.
In practical terms it will hardly be possible to provide such a briefing right after a disaster, so
it is best to incorporate it into disaster preparedness drills. A clear contact system should also
be established so that the layperson can seek the advice of a local mental health facility when
making a determination about the need for observation, and when possible or appropriate,
direct follow-up can be carried out by a professional. Successful screening will depend on theamount of advance practice that lay responders have had with a checklist and simulations
during disaster drills.
4) Psychological first aid
As noted above it is almost always lay responders who are the first on the scene after
the disaster event. Yet laypersons, too, can perform psychological first aid (see Litz and Gray,"Early Intervention for Trauma" on the website of the National Center for PTSD). Theircapacities for this will depend, as with the screening process described above, on advance
practice during disaster drills.
In the initial stage, most psychological changes are acute-stage stress reactions, withvaried and rapidly changing symptoms. Hence there is little value in precisely describing the
medical symptoms or making diagnoses. Attention should instead be focused on identifying
persons who seem to have serious symptoms or severe distress. The best way to do this is toactually meet and speak with people. Taking physical discomfort as an example, one can learn
that headache or nausea is present by observing and conversing with the person, whether or
not one has any medical skills. Meanwhile, the responders' one-by-one contact with the entire
community will in itself help to reduce the general anxiety level and provide reassurance. Of
course this contact process cannot discover every symptom, but it is appropriate as a means ofaddressing the entire group right after the event. During this contact process, people having
difficulties should be informed about the counseling hotline and plans for special consultation
offices.
When an unstable person is in fact encountered during the initial outreach, immediate
medical treatment will not be possible. Whether or not a medical specialist or aid supervisor
can be promptly contacted will depend on the scope of the disaster. As the basis for an on-thespot response, the following message should be communicated: In the immediate aftermath ofa disaster, anyone may experience temporary anxiety, depressiveness, irritability, etc., so it isbest to just settle down and see how things develop—but in an extreme situation, do nothesitate to call the hotline or use the counseling facilities, and furthermore, be assured thatpsychological assistance will be available on a continuing basis.
If there is severe insomnia, panic, agitation or absentmindedness, medical personnel
should be contacted as soon as possible. In such a case the disaster is not the only cause.
There was previously some sort of strong shock (e.g. loss of a family member) or othertriggering experience, or a mental disorder. Such unusually severe cases are often discoveredby a somatic physician, who may be able to provide psychological first aid or transport to amental health care facility. Another important thing to watch for is cases where a condition isaggravated due to the interruption of prescribed medication. Epileptics are especiallyvulnerable, as a potentially life-threatening seizure may occur as soon as 48 hours after9

medication is stopped. Other situations that may be encountered include panic or anxiety
attacks and aggravation of schizophrenia. Yet it is inappropriate and unproductive to ask inthe presence of others whether a person has been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition.
Instead the person should be asked in general terms about their health conditions, whether
they have stopped taking any regular medication, or whether they are worried about any lost
medicines.
5) Medical screening
Symptoms persisting after the third week following the disaster are semi-fixed, andmedical screening is recommended if the circumstances allow it. The standard timing forscreening is about one month after the disaster event, though it may be delayed by thecircumstances of the particular situation. Psychiatric diagnosis for all conditions arising after
the disaster is desirable, but there are often not enough psychiatrists available for everyone.
Even without diagnosis, it is still possible to identify individuals with severe symptoms orwith high-risk family or community backgrounds, and obtain the data needed to arrange
treatment on a priority basis. For the required data, the questionnaire can be completed under
the supervision of any medical professional, not necessarily a psychiatrist. The recommended
procedure is to perform simple screening, by completing a comprehensive mental healthquestionnaire and an interview, followed by a diagnostic interview with a psychiatrist. In
addition, to increase the rate of mental health examinations in the community, it is useful tooffer a general health checkup under the non-threatening label of a "stress checkup," in whichmental health observation can be combined with a physical health examination.
The screening work performed at this stage provides basic data for later planning of
local mental health care services and evaluation of the need for continuing assistance. It must
be remembered that about half of the serious cases, such as acute stress disorder (ASD – seeglossary), diagnosed at this stage are likely to heal naturally within a month or two.
6) Public information
It is essential to provide public information on a consistent basis, starting immediately
after the disaster.
(1)

Practical information

Working with news organizations to quickly disseminate full information on the scaleof damage, safety of families, future prospects, and assistance and health care options will domuch to ease public anxiety, relieve feelings of isolation, and prevent unwarranted confusionor panic. Printed bulletins provide information in a form that is easy for the public to digest.
(2)

Psychological information

In addition, from the local mental health standpoint, information can be delivered tothe public concerning common psychological changes in post-disaster situations and ways of
responding to them, as well as local programs for mental health care. Denial of psychologicalchanges, on the part of both the individuals and those around them, is very common, so it isimportant to let people know that such changes are something that is well known. Counseling
options including hotlines should also be widely publicized from the early stage. Actual
rescue activities may not be quickly reported to the general public, and disaster information

10

may also be vague in some respects. When this occurs, providing advice about preventing
mischievous agitation or deception by false rumors is another important role.
7) Counseling hotline
While the overall anxiety level of the community can be reduced through appropriate
public information, there will still be individuals facing anxiety or other mental issues. A
telephone hotline through which these people can voluntarily seek counseling is a highly
effective service. The actual experience after recent disasters in Japan is that hotline
utilization is not always high. This is not because the service is not needed, but because there
is widespread reluctance to acknowledge the positive value of psychological counseling. In
this situation, it is probably best to provide a general hotline for all kinds of information on
the community, health issues, and daily life, and to refer individual callers who seem like theywould benefit from counseling to a separate counseling hotline or to a mental health care
professional.
8) Dealing with PTSD
(1)

The context of PTSD

PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) tends to receive a lot of attention in the mass
media, yet the experience of disaster does not necessarily lead to PTSD, and indeed may leadto various other kinds of psychological conditions, as mentioned above. After the recent
eruption of Mt. Uzu, there was almost none of the sort of trauma that leads to PTSD, because
the dead and wounded were evacuated as were residents living on the verge of the fire disasterarea, and most of the psychological problems of the local residents had to do with anxieties
about their life circumstances and the stress of living in evacuation centers. After theTokaimura criticality accident, most of the reactions among area residents were caused byworry about invisible radiation or confusion arising from insufficient information. Elsewhere,
there were high incidences of PTSD among firefighters and temporary housing residents
following the Hanshin Earthquake, and the poisoned community in Wakayama. Thus whether
or not PTSD occurs depends on the particular nature of the disaster. And it is a given that theparticular experiences of survivors of a given disaster will vary greatly.
In general, experiences that are likely to lead to PTSD are those which threaten thesurvival of that person or someone close to that person. In disaster situations the mostcommonly observed causes are personal experience of fire, flooding or house collapse, thedeath or injury of a loved one, or seeing corpses.
Even when there is a suspected chance of PTSD, mental health treatment is not
focused on early detection and treatment of PTSD. This is because many other kinds of
psychological reactions may occur, and even after PTSD symptoms have subsided, there may
be some sort of trauma-reaction aftereffects such as reclusiveness or maladjustment. It is
important always to maintain the basic approach of readiness to identify a broad range ofpsychological changes, and to respond as appropriate with diagnosis, evaluation or assistance.
(2)

Responding to trauma and posttraumatic stressWhat, then, should be done when there is strong concern about PTSD? Careful
performance of normal assistance activities is actually the best thing. In particular, assistanceshould be provided to minimize the survivor's responsibilities for the care of children or theelderly, for visiting family members in hospital or accompanying them on outpatient visits,

11and for doing household chores. The point of this approach is to ensure that the survivor finds
security, peace of mind, and restful sleep as soon as possible. Security means providing aliving space that is removed from the damage and aftereffects of the disaster. Peace of mindmeans alleviating feelings of isolation and supporting the sense that the person is being cared
for by an assistance network. Though in actuality this may not always be possible for those
whose family members are among the casualties, the conditions that would best support
security and peace of mind should be provided. A restful environment must be provided
immediately, as it is very important to ensure adequate sleep during the early stage.
The Checklist on Need for Observation (at the end of these guidelines) should be filled
out for any individual who has serious symptoms, whose condition is getting worse, who isconsidered high-risk, or who has had strong sleeping difficulty or nightmares for two or moredays, and delivered to a psychiatrist for evaluation.
No method has been established for identifying individuals who are at high risk for
PTSD. But we do know that special attention must be given to individuals who were strongly
exposed to the trauma-inducing situations mentioned above, who lost a family member in thedisaster, who have substantially lost the underpinnings of their lives, or who had previously
experienced such trauma as an accident that killed a family member. Of course it may not beeasy to obtain this kind of information, but it may help to talk with neighbors and friends orrefer to earlier local public health records.
At the onset of PTSD, it must be reconfirmed that the survivor has an environmentthat supports the essentials of security, peace of mind and restful sleep. Furthermore,whenever the person exhibits especially strong anxiety or a heightening of symptoms, a
psychiatrist must be consulted about how to proceed.
As a rule, in counseling soon after the event, do not ask the survivor to recount thestory and emotional impact of the disaster experience. This can be harmful. It was previously
thought that using this counseling technique (psychological debriefing) at an early stage could
help to prevent the future onset of PTSD. But the technique is now discredited, and its
avoidance is clearly recommended in guidelines of international psychologist associations andthe US National Center for PTSD. If psychological debriefing is done it may result in a goodfeeling at that moment, but in the long run it may heighten future PTSD symptoms. Even now,
proposals for assistance based on this old idea are sometimes presented. Do not use
psychological debriefing.
What is important is to build a network around the survivor of understanding people
who can talk together about the actual suffering in the disaster and subsequent difficulties inmoving forward. That will depend on the cooperation of friends and neighbors, and may not
involve hearing the full details of the experience or releasing all the feelings. It has beenreported that building good personal connections with caregivers tends to lower survivors'
long-term alcohol dependence.

3. Natural Recovery from Trauma
For most survivors, even if there is some temporary mental instability, they will
naturally return to their normal selves. Among temporary housing residents and firefighters
after the Hanshin Earthquake, the poisoned community in Wakayama, and employees
surviving the “A” factory fire of 2003, after one year had passed there was a rather low rate of
10% with PTSD in the strict sense, or 20% when partial PTSD is included. These figures,
which can be taken as a rough outlook, represent the incidence of PTSD one year after the
event among personally impacted survivors of groups that suffered casualty levels of several
percent. Naturally the figures will vary according to the definition of the survivor populationand the intensity of the disaster. Surveys after the Wakayama poisoning found incidences of12

18% for PTSD and 20% for partial PTSD at three months, and of 8% and 10% at both six
months and twelve months afterward.
Thus under the above definition of the survivor population:(1) About 20% suffer from PTSD in the broad sense.
(2) About 80% show natural recovery.
(3) It may be inferred that after six months have passed, there will be virtually nonatural recovery.
Therefore, as a policy for mental health care for the community as a whole, it should
be assumed that natural recovery will occur in most cases, and support can be provided forthat process. Toward that end it is necessary to:(1) Provide conditions that encourage natural recovery, and(2) Diminish factors that impede natural recovery.
This approach can be compared to treating a bodily ailment by ensuring adequate rest,
cleanliness and nutrition. Of course, in order to serve survivors with severe symptoms or
high-risk backgrounds, it will still be necessary to encourage screening and voluntary
counseling in order to identify them so individual assistance can be provided.
1) Conditions that encourage natural recovery
A normal external body wound would be treated by providing sufficient rest andnourishment in a clean and peaceful environment. For trauma it is similar, and when theconditions are not present, there is not need to give professional treatment. The following are
the conditions that encourage recovery.
• Practicalities(1) Guaranteeing bodily safety(2) Protection from secondary events (fire after earthquake, contamination by poisons, etc.)(3) Maintenance of living conditions(4) Continuity of daily life (school, work, household chores)(5) Prospects for recovering economic footing (finances, job security, home reconstruction)(6) Protection from day-to-day stress (group life in refugee shelter, reporters, etc.)• General support(7) Information on damage and assistance(8) Regular visits by relief workers(9) Giving people the sense that "a helping hand" is extended(10) Prompt responses to requests and questions• Psychological care(11) Information about psychological changes (including healthy states and recovery states
as well as symptoms)(12) Suggestions for counseling when needed (hotline, counseling office)2) Factors that impede natural recovery
Factors that impede recovery are intrusions that cause secondary trauma or threaten
the stability of daily life. In the wake of a disaster such things as site inspections by public
officials, or questioning about compensation by insurance companies will occur, and it must13

be kept in mind that such processes impose psychological burdens. Yet the aspect of mental
health is just one part of the decision on whether a process is permissible, and acomprehensive determination is needed for the site. At the least, attention should be given to
psychological changes before and after these processes.
The factors that impede recovery are so diverse that they cannot all be enumerated
here. Those which are most frequently encountered are listed here.
• Delay of practical assistance(1) Delay in rebuilding life(2) Deterioration of living conditions at temporary residence, difficulty in maintaining
privacy(3) Family member or acquaintance killed, injured or missing• Especially vulnerable groups (Including their families)(4) Infants(5) The elderly(6) The handicapped(7) The sick or injured(8) People whose first language is not Japanese• Social milieu(9) Single persons(10) People with nobody outside the family to talk to• Other(11) News interviews against a person's will(12) Inspections by police, public officials, insurance companies, etc.

4. Liaison with Outside Volunteers
1) Assistance policy should be set by the Disaster Relief Headquarters
After a disaster, volunteers from many different occupational backgrounds rush to thearea, and few of them have any systematic knowledge about mental health care following adisaster, nor awareness of international health care standards. In particular, there is anorganization for practicing the previously mentioned technique psychological debriefing,which was formed before its effectiveness was disproven, and even now there are still
proposals for interventions using this technique. Furthermore, most volunteers leave after a
few days without handing over in a manner that would allow continuity of their activities. The
result is that the overall assistance policy is set in accordance only with advice from outsiders
who do not care what problems are left unresolved. Proposals for cooperation from suchdiverse occupational categories should be handled by recruiting the skills that are necessary atparticular times to meet particular needs, with overall assistance policy kept entirely as the
responsibility of the local Disaster Relief Headquarters.
2) Contact with residents should be controlled by the Disaster Relief Headquarters
When volunteers who have rushed in from the outside make direct contact withresidents of the disaster area, they must definitely provide information and services authorized14

under the uniform direction of the Disaster Relief Headquarters. Otherwise, they will wreak
havoc with the information and policies that are transmitted to the public. In a large-scaledisaster situation it can be very difficult to maintain sufficient control of volunteer activities in
the field, and every effort must be made to do so.
Volunteers have been known to independently introduce the long-discredited
technique of acute-stage psychological debriefing in their interactions with local residents,
and to deny the effectiveness of medications and take other measure which are detrimental tothe area. Caution is required.
3) Surveys by outside groups should be controlled by the Disaster Relief Headquarters
During some recent disaster relief efforts, teams from outside the disaster area have
surveyed residents and then gone home without reporting their findings. Casual survey taking
can, depending on the questions, further arouse the anxieties of the residents. Often there arealso problems in the ways the survey is explained and consent is obtained. Survey activities
too should be kept under the control of the Disaster Relief Headquarters, and when a survey isdeemed necessary for some reason, it should be designed carefully to include the participationof an ongoing assistance program.

5. Working with the Press
1) The importance of informational assistance from the press
Swift and impartial news coverage is quite beneficial, as it provides information about
not only the disaster situation but also relief activities. In addition, news coverage promotes asense of connection between the disaster area and the rest of the world, which can aid trauma
recovery when it is perceived as a sort of treatment network. It is also effective for counteringrumors and lessening victims' feelings of stigma.
2) Risk of triggering PTSD through newsgathering
Certain types of newsgathering activity, including the use of a flash without warning,
an interview conducted by several correspondents, or photography of homes and refugee
shelters, will aggravate the mental insecurity of the survivors. In particular, among thesymptoms of PTSD is hypersensitivity (hypervigilance) toward visual and auditory shocks,
which can be triggered by excessive newsgathering.
3) Dealing with the press
It is the duty of the Disaster Relief Headquarters to recognize the positive importanceof press coverage and actively disclose appropriate information, and at the same time toobtain cooperation from the press to avoid such excesses as concentration on particularsurvivors or coverage of persons who are not fully aware of the newsgathering intent. It is
important to adequately inform representatives of the press about the potentials for
aggravation of psychological conditions through newsgathering activities. As a rule, press
liaison activities should not be done by relief workers in the field, but handled in a uniform
manner in the Disaster Relief Headquarters.

15

6. Multicultural Issues
Along with globalization, the number of people living in Japan who are not native
speakers of Japanese has grown. Whether they are here as temporary visitors, students, or
workers, most foreigners are regarded as especially vulnerable to disaster because of theirlimited comprehension of the Japanese language. In general they cannot fully grasp public
information, and are therefore liable to suffer secondary uncertainty anxiety. They also tend tohave difficulty in obtaining medical care or other assistance.
In addition, depending on their native culture, foreigners are likely to have different
patterns of reaction to a disaster. This may well lead to complications in the course of group
activities and refugee shelter living, and mental health care supervisors will need some special
understanding to rectify them.
It would be helpful to have volunteers who can speak the native languages of theforeigners, but it is often impossible to have the right people on hand in the disaster setting.
When there are multicultural needs, it may be possible to have linguists from outside the area
prepare special messages for public information releases, or to request the media to prepare
multilingual versions of disaster information broadcasts. Even though foreign-language
versions may be less complete than the originals, the mere fact that information is provided intheir native language will provide valuable reassurance to these survivors.
Foreign citizens who hold permanent residency are usually very well accustomed toJapanese life and will not suffer from the cultural dissonance described above. During certain
disasters in the past there were instances of mob psychology in which foreigners becametargets. Yet the amicable multicultural cooperation that was seen during the recovery from theHanshin Earthquake demonstrates that in Japan today, adequate information delivery andadministrative guidance can effectively bring everyone together. There is no need to include
multicultural issues as a topic of disaster relief communications or refugee shelter
arrangements, and indeed such special discussion would be likely to generate confusion.

7. Mental Health of Relief Workers
1) Background
Relief workers are, obviously, charged with providing assistance to disaster survivors,
and because of this they may tend to neglect their own health issues or, even when theyrecognize them, have too strong a sense of mission to take breaks or seek treatment. Moreover,relief workers may develop different types of stresses than the survivors, and may haveproblems readjusting to their regular jobs after the relief work. If they seriously succumb totheir own health problem, they may also lose awareness that they are impeding the smooth
execution of relief work. Adequate care for relief workers must be provided, based on therecognition that they can accomplish their tasks only after adequately minding their own
health.
2) Stress factors for relief workers(1)

Fatigue from ongoing pressure of relief work

Even if one is capable of working without sleep or rest during the immediate postdisaster emergency, if overwork continues for a longer period the accumulated fatigue islikely to become a problem. In contrast to the emergency phase when everyone works without
16

a clear structure, the longer-term work must be more precisely assigned to avoid excessive
burdens and possible exhaustion or confusion. Thus care is needed to avoid "burnout
syndrome."(2)

Sense of mission vs. practical limitations

Many relief workers are motivated by a pure sense of mission to assist victims. If forsome external reason, such as insufficient water for continued firefighting work, they areunable to perform a task in the ideal fashion, it is possible that a psychological conflict
between the sense of mission and the limitations of reality will cause feelings of guilt or
powerlessness.
(3)

Emotional outbursts from victims

Amid the extensive damage and suffering, area residents often display emotional
reactions such as anger and guilt, and anger is particularly strong in the wake of a disaster
caused by human action. As there is no opportunity to vent their anger at a directly
responsible party, it is not unusual for pent-up anger to be released toward relief workers whoare in the vicinity. If the workers feel like the anger is personally directed toward them, they
may come under considerable stress. As described in the previous paragraph, if there is asense of limitation on the completion of one's task, relief workers may have guilt feelings or asense that they are avoiding their proper work.
(4)

Viewing the horrors of the disaster area

Relief workers are quite likely, even more than most local residents, to be exposed tothe sight of terrible damage, corpses and the like, which may result in PTSD or other trauma
reactions.
(5)

Vulnerability of self and loved ones

Relief workers who live in the affected area or their families, may also suffer, or fear
they may suffer, damage and loss. When family members or acquaintances are among thedisaster victims, the dedicated care given to relief activities can cause extra psychologicaltensions and exhaustion.
(6)

Adjusting to a new place and being away from home

Relief workers who have come from other areas may have trouble adjusting to their
sleeping, eating or working arrangements, and the stress may build up further because they
are unable to release it through their normal recreation or exercise activities. Aside from thedisaster situation, there may be ongoing problems at home that build up tension, especially if
the relief work assignment continues for a long time. The stress will be heightened if theassignment is for an indefinite period.
3) Psychological reactions of relief workers
The following types of reactions could occur among relief workers in a disaster area:(1)

Acute stress disorder (ASD)

17

(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)

PTSD
Adjustment disorder
PhobiaAggravation of existing mental disorders
Other reactions4) Countermeasures(1)

Definite work rotation and assignments

Though it may not be possible during the emergency phase just after the event, as soon
as it is practical the activity periods, relief schedules, responsibilities and job descriptions
must be clarified for all mobilized relief workers.
(2)

Education about stress on relief workers

It is effective to teach relief workers that stress is nothing to be ashamed of, butinstead must be recognized and adequately treated.
(3)

Self-awareness of mind and body and health counseling

It is important to give each relief worker a checklist of potential physical and mental
irregularities, and when necessary to offer health counseling.
(4)

Education about survivors' psychological reactions

Relief workers should be informed that they may be the target of intense outbursts ofanger or other emotions by survivors undergoing psychological reactions. It may be useful tohold trainings that include role-playing exercises.
(5)

Simulation of disaster scenes

Slide shows or simulations of disaster scenes including bodies, wounded people, etc.
can help to prepare relief workers for shocks they may encounter in the field.
(6)

Making the work meaningful

Expressions of admiration or gratitude for the efforts of particular individuals within
the relief work organization is surprisingly rare. It is important to clearly acknowledge thevalue of the work, through accounts in a community newsletter about the significance andresults of certain activities, or in group meetings where supervisors highlight special
achievements.

IV. Things to Start Doing Now
1) Public education about mental health care and disasters
As a part of regular mental health care activities, information should be provided to
the local public, as described in part II of these Guidelines, about the types of psychological18

reactions that may occur in the event of a disaster and how to respond do them. Regarding
PTSD in particular, inaccurate information has been presented by the mass media, and thisshould be corrected. The following points should be emphasized:(1)
After a disaster, psychological changes effect more than half of the affected
community, and most of the reactions are normal.
(2)
PTSD cannot be diagnosed until at least one month after the symptoms appear.
(3)
When PTSD is diagnosed, most people are capable of recovery, and natural recovery
can be facilitated by avoiding secondary shocks and getting adequate personal support.
Building a network of supportive people in the neighborhood is very important.
(4)
Psychological debriefing done soon after the disaster experience does not work toprevent PTSD.
(5)
Between 10 and 20% of people who had very strong experiences are likely to havelong-term PTSD symptoms. If it doesn't seem to be subsiding naturally, a specialist isalways available for consultation.
2) Mental health care simulations during disaster drills
Simulations of physical rescue activities are commonly included in disaster
preparedness drills, but simulations of mental health care relief activities are not. Policies formental health care should be included in discussions at mock disaster headquarters, rescue
squads should practice providing basic psychological tips to people at disaster sites, and there
should be rehearsals of consultations about insomnia or anxiety. It is helpful for a community
leader to play the role of a citizen who complains of anxiety and comes for counseling, as thisexample is likely to reduce the stigma that many people place on the topic of psychologicalaid.
3) Arranging funding for mental health care
Arrangements need to be made in advance for the human resources that would beneeded for services in a time of disaster. This includes lists of contacts for each occupational
category, as well as contact information for persons who can provide advice. If people fromdifferent cultural backgrounds are likely to be in the area, it will be helpful to include
foreigners and foreign language speakers in the volunteer lists.
4) Making mental trauma care part of routine mental health services
Aside from disaster situations, mental trauma is a problem that routinely occurs
among victims of abuse, accidents, domestic violence or crime. The mental symptoms that
occur in these cases are hardly any different from those which occur among residents of areas
struck by disaster. Mental health professionals should make efforts to amass experience indealing with mental trauma cases and become accustomed to them, and make opportunities toexchange information with women's and children's counseling centers where such cases tend
to be concentrated.
5) Training for mental health care providers
To enhance the skills of supervisors who handle mental trauma in disasters and othersituations, professional trainings and related events should be actively arranged. Not only
psychology professionals, but also those with supervisory positions in disaster preparedness
committees and public agencies should receive training. Public officials who are also19qualified physicians should be especially encouraged to take training, so that they can beprepared to combine administrative and clinical skills in managing local mental health carepolicies in the event of a disaster.
Note: The2002 annual in-service training of the Japan Psychiatric Hospital Association isabout policies for building local mental health. The particular focus of their trainings changes
every year.

20Checklist for Necessity of Observation (Immediately after disaster event)
RecorderRecorder's affiliation
Recorder's phone number

District
Date/Time
Name
Age
Gender

Date:

Time:

ExtremeDefinite

AM PM

Somewhat

None

Major accident or disaster experience
before this disaster1 Yes 0No

Family member missing, dead or seriously
injured in this disaster1 Yes 0No

Cannot settle down and be still
Incoherent speech and behavior
Absentminded, unresponsive
Afraid, frightened
Crying, sad
Appears anxious, scared
Palpitations, breathing difficulty, trembling
Agitated, speaks loudly
Unable to sleep since disaster event

Medical care interrupted, medication lost(including physical ailments)

1 Yes 0 No

Condition:

Medication:

Special vulnerability (elderly, infant, handicapped,
ill or injured, non-native Japanese speaker, etc.)

1 Yes 0 No

Vulnerability:
Especially vulnerable family member

1 Yes 021

NoGlossary
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A trauma reaction arising from mental trauma
which consists of recollection of an experience which brings on terror of an intensity
comparable to a life-threatening situation. A vivid scene of an event and associated feelings ofterror are intrusively recalled e.g. as a flashback, accompanied by increased arousal(hypervigilance) with strong stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, numbing withinability to distinguish between present events and the past experience, and avoidance ofstimuli that trigger recollection of the experience. Symptoms continuing for one month or
longer. Diagnostic criteria listed in next section. Drug therapy with SSRI antidepressants andcognitive behavioral therapy are effective for treatment. Preconditions for treatment areprevention of secondary trauma, and availability of social and psychological support.
Remission may occur with only such support.
Outreach: Service provided not by waiting at the provider's own facility or desk for thoseseeking service to visit, but by going to their locations (neighborhoods, workplaces, etc.) toprovide service. Where needs are not clearly defined, outreach must begin by uncovering theneeds. Notwithstanding the fact that most residents of disaster areas have post-disaster
psychological reactions that require temporary assistance, in Japan people are extremely
hesitant to seek psychological care which would pursue further practical responses, and only
rarely do individuals seek mental health care at their own initiative. It is therefore important to
respond to latent needs through outreach programs.
Psychology Education: Public education activities following a disaster or other major event,concerning the types of psychological changes that occur, what their causes may be, whatkinds of responses are needed, and what type of assistance is available. Normally performedby means of publicity, visits by mental health professionals and other relief workers, andopening of consultation centers. As a rule, people who have experienced a disaster event are
unable adequately to comprehend the psychological changes which they are experiencing, therealization that their psychological condition differs from usual times usually is a source ofyet greater anxiety, and they don't know what kind of treatment they should seek. Psychology
education is an important way to provide appropriate information and strengthen the
motivation to seek treatment. Psychology education is aimed not only at those who havereactions, but also at the surrounding community, in the hope that people will recognize theirown psychological reactions and will receive support from those around them when they seek
treatment.
Debriefing (Psychological Debriefing): An acute-stage intervention carried out between
several days and several weeks after a disaster experience, which has been claimed to be away of preventing the worsening of stress reactions and the onset of PTSD and has beenpracticed in various countries. Its effectiveness in preventing PTSD onset has been repudiated,
and indeed there are reports that in some cases it aggravates the disorder. Encouraging aperson to talk about a traumatic experience – as is stressed in psychology education material
about trauma treatment – sometimes provides a detrimental stimulus and impedes the natural
recovery process. In Western countries it is often used with firefighters, police officers andsoldiers. During the acute stage it is necessary to surround the victim with helpful
consideration, but there is no need to push into the content of the experience and encourage
the venting of emotions.

22

Vulnerability: Among survivors of the same experience, some develop PTSD and some donot, and there are also individual variations in the intensity of symptoms and the recovery
process. Therefore, aside from the experience of an external traumatic event, it is suspectedthat individual factors (vulnerability) are also involved. In many cases the experience seems
to have been identical, yet the actual content of the experience varies greatly from person toperson. In statistical analyses, there is good correlation between the intensity of the shocking
experience and the later incidence of PTSD and seriousness of symptoms. Another important
aspect is social support. After considering this factor, we should consider individual
vulnerability. Research on vulnerability is by no means complete, but studies are examining
correlations between PTSD and prior individual or family history of mental disorders, low
self-respect and low intelligence, past trauma experience, introverted character, unclear
boundary between the self and the world, and female gender.
Partial PTSD: A posttraumatic stress reaction where all criteria of PTSD are not necessarily
present. To fulfill the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, specified minimum numbers of symptomsof reexperiencing (flashbacks, distressing dreams, etc.), of avoidance and numbing (social
withdrawal, diminished memory, etc.), and of increased arousal (sleeping difficulty,
irritability, etc.) must all be present. Partial PTSD is the name used for a condition that
displays some PTSD reactions but does not meet all of the diagnostic criteria.
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD): Occurrence of transient excessive stress reactions
immediately following a major disaster. ASD symptoms are similar to those of PTSD, but thediagnosis depends on dissociation symptoms, in addition to the three types of indications for
PTSD., ASD symptoms appear between two days and four weeks after the disaster, whereas
PTSD is diagnosable when symptoms continue for more than one month after the event.
While a high possibility of natural recovery is noted for ASD, it has been argued that it is astrong predictor of the onset of PTSD.

23

Diagnostic Criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder(Excerpt from DSM-IV™ – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth
Edition, © American Psychiatric Association)
A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were
present:(1) the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events thatinvolved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physicalintegrity of self or others(2) the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
Note: In children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior
B. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:(1) recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images,
thoughts or perceptions.
Note: In young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of thetrauma are expressed.
(2) recurrent distressing dreams of the event.
Note: In children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
(3) acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving
the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including
those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated).
Note: In young children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.
(4) intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolizeor resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(5) physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize orresemble an aspect of the traumatic event
C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general
responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three (or more) of thefollowing:(1) efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma(2) efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma(3) inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma(4) markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities(5) feeling of detachment or estrangement from others(6) restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)(7) sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage,
children, or a normal life span)
D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated bytwo(or more) of the following:(1) difficulty falling or staying asleep(2) irritability or outbursts of anger(3) difficulty concentrating24

(4) hypervigilance(5) exaggerated startle response
E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than 1 month.
F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational,
or other important areas of functioning.
Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than 3 months
Chronic: if duration of symptoms is 3 months or more
Specify if:
With Delayed Onset: if onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the stressor

25