Part I
Activity status of Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care
Center (MDMHCC)
1. Department Initiatives
・・・Community Support Division, Kesennuma Regional Center・・・Community Support Division, Ishinomaki Regional Center・・・Community Support Division, Stem Center

・・・Planning and Coordination Department, Stem Center
2. Projects of Cooperating Agencies and Organizations
・・・Medical corporation Tohokukai Hospital・・・Department of Preventive Psychiatry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
・・・NPO Corporation Miyagi Danshukai

・・・Japan Social Worker Association for Alcohol-Related Problems
・・・Supporters Club Members
3. The 2015 Programming Review

Glossary*Interpretation by the bulletin*Order of the Japanese syllabary
Addiction

Gatekeeper

Addiction refers to a compulsive need. It is characterized by a particularpreference for certain substances, behaviors, and interpersonal relationshipissues. It is defined as a tendency to indulge in a bad habit although you want
to break it.
These are persons who notice the signs of an increased risk of suicide and who
can provide the appropriate support (identify troubled persons, talk to them,listen to them, help them to connect with the necessary support, and watch overthem).
“Gatekeeper workshops” are run in local communities. The social support circle
is expanding through many of these workshops for volunteers involved in theprevention of suicide, for healthcare and welfare workers (e.g., family
physicians), for the representatives of neighborhood associations, for welfare
and child welfare commissioners, for beauticians, etc.

Health Survey

Consultation

Public housing (disasterrecovery public housing)Screening

We have seen various health problems occur since the earthquake. Research isunderway to evaluate the health status of the residents of temporary housing,to help connect those who require a follow-up after receiving health support
services and to collect basic data for policy-making. This research consists of(i) research co-sponsored by Miyagi Prefecture and the local government who
manage container type temporary housing and privately-rented temporary
housing; and (ii) research solely sponsored by the local government.
Consultation refers to a multidisciplinary discussion based on equal
relationships. Consultation is intended to seek advice from other experts before
providing social services to patients.
This refers to government-funded housing provided by local governments
to disaster survivors who lost their houses in the disaster and do not haveaccommodation. Many local governments call it "disaster recovery publichousing."
By the end of June 2016, the construction of 14,883 housing units (19more housing units than the end of the previous month) out of 15,919
planned housing units had been started in 279 districts in 21
municipalities in Miyagi Prefecture. (From the Website on the Recovery
Housing Maintenance Office of the Miyagi Prefectural Government, “Aboutthe Maintenance of Public Housing for Disaster Victims"
http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/fukujuu/)
Screening refers to medical methods for distinguishing patients with specificdiseases or those at high risk of a given disease from healthy individuals. It
also refers to screening tests used to identify individuals who require support
using post-disaster health surveys.

－3－Stress check system

Supervision (SV)

Precision medicine

Mutual support groups
Social capital

Comprehensive
community care

TriageDementia Disease
Medical Center

The stress check system, which was introduced in December 2015, requires
regular stress tests among workers and is intended to provide feedback to themand raise awareness of their stress symptoms to reduce the risk of poor mental
health. It is an initiative that aims to improve the workplace environment bycollectively analyzing test results.
Supervision refers to professional guidance and advice on cases provided byexperienced specialists from an objective point of view to inexperienced
specialists to improve the quality of their practice.
Precision medicine refers to healthcare intended to identify an appropriate
treatment strategy for each patient by findings from various fields of researchand clinical practice.
The term “Mutual support groups” refers to self-help groups (SHG).
It does not mean “social capital ”as a synonym for social infrastructure. It israther to be understood as a concept referring to trusting relationships andconnections between people in society and the community. It is an abstract
concept with various definitions. In a society where social capital isaccumulated, mutual trust exists and collaboration is common. Therefore,
people seldom suspect others, which has a positive impact on public safety,
economic status, education, health, and happiness, resulting in increasedsocial efficiency.
Comprehensive community care refers to a comprehensive care system of
housing, health care, nursing care, prevention, life support, etc. that is expected
to be provided to the baby boomers by 2025 when they reach 75 years or older
so that they can maintain their lifestyle in their familiar environment even after
being diagnosed with diseases requiring severe-level care certification for
long-term care insurance. As the number of elderly people with dementia isexpected to increase in the future, the development of a comprehensive
community care system is important in supporting the community life ofelderly people with dementia.
“Triage” refers to the prioritization of a large number of injured persons aftera disaster or accident based on the severity of their symptoms. Triage is also
routinely used in clinical practice such as emergency care. In some cases, in
mid- and long-term mental health care, triage refers to helping patients toconnect with support or a specialized institution based on the priority andnecessity of treatment.
Prefectures and ordinance-designated cities appoint medical institutions thatmeet the requirements of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Lab our, and Welfare
as “dementia disease medical centers. ”These centers contribute to community
health care by providing a differential diagnosis of dementia, acute care forpatients with peripheral symptoms, dementia consultation, local healthcare
networks for the treatment of physical complications, and by promoting humanresource development for dementia care.
As part of its dementia prevention efforts, Miyagi Prefecture has designatedsix medical institutions as "Miyagi Prefecture dementia disease medicalcenters."－4－Rating scale“Rating scale” refers to criteria and a measure. Many psychiatric andpsychological scales are questionnaires. Questionnaire scores are calculated byadding or subtracting points. Those with a score exceeding the criteria (cutoff) value are classified as high-risk patients. The questionnaires consist ofself-administered questionnaires and questionnaires completed by a family
member or a caregiver.

Facilitators“Facilitators” are those who support and assist conference and group work invarious fields, such as educational institutions, corporations, government, andmedical welfare, to promote discussion and learning by participants.

Postvention

Postvention refers to post-intervention.
The prevention of suicide is classified into three stages: prevention (preintervention), intervention (crisis intervention), and postvention (postintervention). Postvention refers to measures to minimize the psychologicaleffects on bereaved individuals in the case of an unfortunate suicide.

－5－

The Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center (MDMHCC) operates with the following six main
components. This report also concerns itself with primarily these areas.

- Counseling and support services for victims (one-on-one
counseling, telephone counseling, etc.)- Community programming and event planning for residents ofdisaster areas

Mental health awareness and education

Resident
Support- Community workshops and lectures- Social activities for residents in affected areas- Design and distribution of educational pamphlets, flyers, PR
materials, homepage, etc.

Understanding the current status of disasteraffected areas and people through researchand surveys

Mental health support services for municipal staff,
provisional support workers and other support providers

Raising PublicAwarenessSupport for
Supporters

Research

HumanResourceDevelopment
Support for
VariousActivities- Professional aid for local governments- Consultation, supervision, participationin case conferences- Establishment of a mental health helpdesk for support
workers- Administrative support

Promotion and training for mental healthprofessionals and support workers- Mental health training in the event ofearthquake
disasters- Support skill training- Case study training- Conferences related to mental healthcare inearthquake recovery

Collaboration and coordination with other organizations to facilitate
joint support programs－6－