2015 Programming Review

FY 2015 Programming Review
Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center
Stem Center / Planning and Coordination Department
Director / Psychiatric Social Worker / Yuichi Watanabe
１． Introduction
Since its establishment, the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center (henceforth, “Center”) has been
engaged in projects based on 6 principles (Figure 1). The Planning and Coordination Department (to be reorganized as the Planning Division in 2016) has the role of unifying these projects to ensure theirimplementation in each region. Please refer to Chapters I and II for details on initiatives undertaken by eachregional center or part-time staff. The objective of this paper is to reflect on the performance of the entire centeras summarized by the Planning and Coordination Department, focus on the current status and challenges of thedisaster area in the five years that have elapsed since the earthquake, and to discuss the development of future
Regional
projects.
resident
support
The project results of the entire center are as shown below (Table
Care
Raising public1). When compared to FY 2014, the number of support cases forworkerawareness
supportresidents has increased but others have declined. Of these, thenumber of support activities conducted by individuals dispatched tomunicipalities has declined substantially from 3255 cases in FY
Human resource
Researchdevelopment2014 to 2376 in 2015 was thought to be because many of these
Support forindividuals resigned (Figure 2).
variousactivities

Figure 1 Six main activities of Miyagi Disaster
Mental Health Care Center

Table 1 Number of activities each center
Community Support Division of eachcenterRegional
resident
supportCare worker
supportRaising
publicawareness
Human
resource
development
Support forvariousactivities
Research
Conference
communicati
on andcoordination

Planning and
Coordination
Department

Stem Center
management

Part-time /contractor

Supporters,
other

Total

Kesen
numa

Ishinomaki

StemCenterMunicipality
dispatch

1.030

1.742

2.184

2.376

164

67

105

12

7.680

134

168

660

463

8

153

16

4

1.606

111

64

86

50

25

22

10

10

378

16

15

28

15

10

61

14

0

159

3

2

1

4

0

0

0

0

10

0

0

1

0

3

12

1

0

17

435

182

562

600

340

36

4

0

2.159

－ 83 －

0

2,000

4,000

Kesennuma Center Support Division

6,000■ Support for residents

Ishinomaki Center Support Division■ Support for supporters

Stem Center Support Division■ Raising public awarenessDispatched■ Human resource development

Planning and Coordination Department■ Support for various activities

Stem Center management■ Coordinating conferences

Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 2 Project time based on activity (excluding research)

２． Regional resident support
We implemented projects in coordination with associated institutions to prevent mental illness and maintainmental health in victims.
（ １ ） Consultation support implementation upon request from residents, municipalities and associatedorganizations
The total number of cases has increased from 7135 in FY 2014 to 7589 in FY 2015. Only accompanied
visits by doctors have slightly decreased but the number of cases related to other support methods has eachincreased (Table 2).
Table 2 Total number of cases by support method (letters excluded; N = 7589)

support method
Home visit

Number of
cases
4,465

Walk-in consultations (including those who
visited a Consultation desk, etc.)
Telephone Consultation

1,078

Consultation in group activities

228

Case conference (Without the presence of theclient)Accompanied visit by a doctor

31

Other

46

Total

7,589

1,668

73

① Patient information
A． Support status
The total number of support cases in FY 2015 was 7589 (Table 3). This has increased by over 400
compared to FY 2014, with the number of cases in the Kesennuma and Ishinomaki centers increasing(Figure 3). “Home-visit health surveys” (1426 cases) have not changed as the most common referral
method at the time of initial support (excluding referrals from other institutions) (Table 4).
When examining responses by each Support Division, we can see that the number of support cases
at the Kesennuma and Ishinomaki centers has increased, with the “responses to health surveys andhome-visits” of the Ishinomaki center showing significant increases (Figure 4). The number ofrequests from administrative agencies has significantly increased support from the Stem Support
Division.
The number of ongoing cases is 5324. When evaluating by affiliation, the number of cases handled
by dispatched support, which was highest in FY 2014, has decreased to below 2500 cases. This isthought to have been due to the decrease in the number of dispatched staff members. The number of
response cases in each Support Division has increased.
－ 84 －

Table 3 Support status (Total number; N ＝ 7,589)

Support status
New support started

2,149

Referred from another institution

115

New

（ total ）Ongoing0500

Number of cases

1,000

1,500

2,000

5,325

2,500

3,000

3,500

Kesennuma Center Support Division
Ishinomaki Center Support Division
Stem Center Support DivisionNew

Dispatched

New (Referred from another institution)

Planning and Coordination
Department

Ongoing cases (total number)

Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 3 Support status fractions (Ｎ＝ 7,589)

Table 4 Center Referral route at the time of initial support (multiple options; Ｎ＝ 2,150）
Route of referral

Number of cases

Home-visit health survey

1,425

Administrative agency

429

From the client

313

Family and relatives

78

Support center and supporters for temporary housing

134

Health care and welfare institution

47

Other (residents in the neighborhood, workplace, unknown, other)

124

0

500

1000

1500

Kesennuma Center Support Division
Home-visit health survey

Ishinomaki Center Support Division

Administrative agency

Stem Center Support Division

From the client

Dispatched

Family and relatives

Planning and Coordination

Support center and care workers for
temporary housing

Department

Health care and welfare institution

Stem Center management

Other (residents in neighborhood, workplace,
unknown, other)

Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 4 Support status fractions (Ｎ＝ 2,150)－ 85 －

B． Demographics
The male-to-female ratio has gotten larger within each age group but women comprise a larger
fraction only in the 70+ years age group. The unemployed fraction has increased with age as welland this trend is similar to those from the previous year (Figure 5).
When broken down by each Support Division (Figures 6 and 7), the number of support cases for
women has been the highest for those in their 70s for each Support Division. Meanwhile, men in their
60s are highest at the Stem and Kesennuma centers but men in their 70s are highest at the Ishinomaki
center. This is thought to have been due to the frequent support provided for specific patients.

2000

1069

746

Women
1500
589

Men

590

Sex unknown
Employed / self-employed (including leave)

1000

417

607

500

Unemployed1022

Student

742

712

Employment unknown

208

Unknown

Over age 70

60-70 years old

50-60 years old

40-50 years old

30-40 years old

20-30 years old

Under age 20

135

Figure 5 Number of patients by age group and gender (Total number of cases; N = 7589)

Kesennuma center
Support Division
Ishinomaki center
Support Division
Stem center Support Division

500
400

500
400

Dispatch
Other, total

300

200

100

100

Below
age 2020s

30s

Dispatch
Other, total

300

200

0

Kesennuma center
Support Division
Ishinomaki center
Support Division
Stem center Support Division

40s

50s

60s

0

70s

Figure 6 Number of male supported

Below 20s 30sUn
known age 20

40s

50s

60s

70s

Figure 7 Number of female supported

patients by age

patients by age (Total number, N= 3,831)（ Total number of cases; Ｎ＝－ 86 －

C． Disaster status
No significant changes have been observed since 2014. A large fraction of people have sufferedhousing damage and many have had their homes destroyed. A reason for this has been that manyreceive support through visits after resident surveys (Figures 8-14).
0

100

200

300

400

Parents
Spouse

Death

211

Child

128

Siblings
Non-death

500
455

146

Grandparents

34

Grandchildren

45361

Other relatives
214

Friends

473

Neighborhood residents

Figure 9 Details of death (Total number,

Figure ８ Bereavement

multiple options; N = 1370)

status (Total number ；Ｎ＝7 589）

0
Injured
271
4％
Unkn
own
3,713
49％

No injury
3,605
47％

100

200

300

400

Parents
SpouseChild
Siblings
Grandparents
Grandchildren
Other relatives
Friends

Figure 10 Presence of injuries

Neighborhood
residents

in patient or their relatives

Figure 11 Details of injured individuals（ Total number ；N ＝ 7,589）（Total number, Multiple options；Ｎ＝271）

UnknownCompletely destroyed
Partially destroyed
Housing damage
Partially damaged
Forced displacement from home
Voluntary evacuation

Figure 12 Presence of housing damage

unknown（ Total number ；Ｎ＝ 7,589）

Figure 13 Details of housing damage（ Total number ；Ｎ＝ 5,778）－ 87 －

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Witnessed tsunami
Witnessed corpses
Life-threatening risks
Loss of purpose
Loss of community
Loss of property other than housing
Loss of job

Figure 14 Influences from other disasters（Total number, Multiple options ；N ＝ 7,589）

D． Housing status (Table 5, Figures 15, 16, and 17)
The fraction of individuals in container type temporary housing and privately rented temporary housing isdecreasing, whereas the fraction of those in disaster public housing is increasing. We interpret this as progress
towards recovery. We do not see significant changes in the fraction of homes.

other/unknown 4%

Table 5 Housing environment at thetime of support (Total number; Ｎ＝7,589)
Housingenvironment
Homes

disaster public housing 19％

Numberof cases
3,007

Container type
temporary
housing
Privately-owned
public housing
Disaster public
housing
Other, unknown

home
40%

privately rented temporary
housing12%

1,898

Container type
temporary
housing 25%

933
1,452

Figure 15 Fraction of home environments at299

the time of support（Total number ；Ｎ＝7,589）

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

Kesennuma Center Support

Home

Divisioncontainer type temporary housing

Ishinomaki Center Support Division

Privately rented temporary housing

Stem Center Support Divisionpublic housing

Dispatchedother/unknown

Planning and Coordination Department
Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 16 Housing environment at the time of support
according to each division (Total number ；Ｎ＝ 7,589）－ 88 －

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

Home

Living alone
Living together
other/unknown

Container type temporary housing
Privately rented temporary housing
Disaster public housing

Other, unknown

Figure 17 Housing environment and household
situation (Total number ；Ｎ＝ 7,589）

E.

Background of Consultation requests （Figure 18）

Instead of the “psychological disorders”, which was the most frequent in FY 2014, FY 2015
saw the highest number in “health problems”. Including the “family/household problems”, these
top three category fractions all increased since FY 2014 but the “addiction”, “changes in thehome environment” and “financial difficulties related to reconstruction” category fractions,which follow these top three, have all decreased since FY 2014. Although the “work-related
problems” and “education / child-rearing / school transfer” category fractions are low overall,they have increased since FY 2014.
0％

20％

40％

Health problems
Psychological problems
Family/household
Addiction
Changes in the home environment
Financial difficulties related toreconstruction
Anxiety about the future
Loss of relatives
Employment concerns
Human relations
Aging-related problems
Use of social resourcesWork-related problems
Education / child-rearing / school transfer
Radioactivity
Other, unknown
None in particular

Figure 18 Number of valid responses in the context ofconsultations (Total number, Multiple options；Ｎ＝ 7,589)－ 89 －

60％

F.

Psychological disorders (Figure 19)“Sleep problems” showed a slight decrease among the top-ranked responses, but the response
fraction of other categories has increased.
0%

20%

40%

60%

symptoms related to mood and emotions
sleep problems
physical symptoms
anxiety
addiction disorders
Delusions, hallucinations
behavioral problems
obsessive-compulsive symptoms
epileptic seizures
dissociation and conversion symptoms
child-specific symptoms
disturbance of consciousness
other symptoms
no symptoms

Figure 19 Percentage of valid responses for each psychologicalsymptom (Total number of cases, Multiple options; Total, N = 7,589)

G.

Presence of psychiatric disease history and status of disease name, onset time, and current treatment(Table 6)
Of the 7589 cases, the fraction of those “with a medical history” is 35.8%, which is effectively the same
fraction as that in FY 2014 (37.2% in FY 2014). However, the number of individuals with “treatment
interrupted” or “untreated” has decreased since FY 2014.
When breaking down the categories within those “with a medical history”, the number of times support
was provided for those with F1 mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use has
decreased, as well as those with F2 schizophrenia, schizotypal, and delusional disorders, wherein both cases,
the corresponding numbers were high in FY 2014. However, for F3 mood (affective) disorders were over
700 cases and have increased by over 100 since FY 2014. That the breakdown of F3 is roughly even between
pre-disaster and post-disaster onset is the same as in previous years. The magnitude of the fractions of F1and F2 before the earthquake is the same as that in 2014 (Figure 20).
Table 6 Medical history and current treatment status (Total number ；Ｎ＝ 7,589）
Psychiatric disease history

Number of cases（ Currently in treatment ）2,080（ Treatment completed ）With medical history （ Treatment interrupted ）

183
400

（ Untreated ）5（ Treatment status unknown ）48
No medical history
3,912
Unknown medical history－ 90 －

961

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

F0 Organic, Including Symptomatic, Mental Disorders
F1 Mental and Behavioral Disorders due to Psychoactive Substance Use
F2 Schizophrenia, Schizotypal and Delusional Disorders
F3 Mood (Affective) Disorders
F4 Neurotics, Stress-related and Somatoform Disorders
F5 Behavioral Syndromes Associated with PhysiologicalDisturbances and Physical Factors■ Pre-disaster onset

F6 Adult Personality and Behavior Disorders■ Post-disaster onset

F7 Intellectual disability (mental retardation)■ Onset period
unknown

F8 Disorders of Psychological Development
F9 Behavioral and Emotional Disorders with Usual Onset in Childhood andAdolescence
G4 Epilepsy
No diagnosis
Unknown diagnosis

Figure 20 Number of cases as classified by illnesses among those with medical history (Total number；Ｎ＝2,716）② Support activities
A． support method (Figure 21)
Over half of the number of support activities of each of the Community Support Division is visit
support, which is the same as in previous years. The reason why the number of support activities by
dispatched staff has significantly decreased since FY 2014 is thought to be due to the decrease indispatched staff from the center.
The number of support cases in each of the Support Divisions of the Ishinomaki, Kesennuma, andStem centers has increased since FY 2014. When broken down, we can see that the increased numberof support cases due to “home-visits” have greatly contributed to this, whereas the number of othersupport methods such as walk-ins or telephone has not changed significantly.
001,000 2,000

3,000

Kesennuma Center Support Division
Ishinomaki Center Support Division

Home visit
Walk-in visitors

Stem Center Support Division

Telephone Consultation

Dispatched

Consultation in group activities

Planning and Coordination Department

Case conference (when client is absent)
Accompanied visit by a doctor
Other

Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 21 Number of support cases according to managing division(Total number; Ｎ＝ 7,589）－ 91 －

B． Counselees
The total number of consultation cases in FY 2015 was 7589, of which the number of consultations
from the client was 6734 at 88.7%, which was effectively identical to that in FY 2014. This wasfollowed by family / relative consultations at 10.5%.
C． Other present organizations
There were 1605 cases where other organizations were present. There were no large changes ineach fraction, and we can see that there were many opportunities for support in collaboration withmunicipal officials. More medical institution associates have been present compared to 2014. We
found out that the reasons for this were due to the increased number of reported cases frommunicipalities that have been working in close coordination with local medical institutions (Figure22, 23).
0％

20％

40％

60％

Municipalities
Support center, temporary
support staff, etc.
Medical institutions
Welfare related
Health care center
Other

Figure 22 Fraction of valid responses from other present
organizations (Total number, Multiple options ；Ｎ＝ 1,605）

0

500

1,000

Kesennuma Center Support Divisionmunicipalities

Ishinomaki Center Support Division

Support center, temporary support staff, etc.

Stem Center Support Division

medical institutions

Dispatched

Welfare-related

Planning and Coordination Department

Other
Health care center

Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 23 Breakdown of other present organizations
according to each managing division（Ｎ＝ 1,605）－ 92 －

③ Support completion conditions (Figures 24 and 25, Table 7)
The fraction of referrals to municipalities is still high but in 2015, the fraction of referrals to medical
institutions increased and the fraction of referrals to welfare institutions decreased.

0

500

1,000

Kesennuma Center Support Division
Ishinomaki Center Support Division
Stem Center Support Division

Improvement in situation
Referred from another institution

Dispatched

Denial of support

Planning and Coordination Department
Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 24 Outcome at the end of support according toeach managing division(Ｎ＝ 1,887)

0％

20％

40％

60％

Municipalities
medical institutions

19.7%

Welfare institution

12.0%

Judicial

0.7%

Employment center

0.0%

Other

19.0%

Figure 25 Fraction of valid response numbers when broken down by other institutional referrals (Ｎ＝ 142)
Table 7

Ongoing cases (total number)closed cases (actual number)

Outcome (N = 7,589)

support status
Number of cases
Regular interviews
3,447interview when necessary
2,241
Other
7
Improvement in situation
1,675
Referred from another institution
142
Denial of support
70

Other

7

－ 93 －

（２） Implementation of camps for patents and children in disaster areas
This is the day camp project which has continued since FY 2014. This year marks the 6th time wehave hosted this event for elementary school students and their parents in the disaster area. There
were 17 participants this year, which is fewer than that in FY 2014.
（３） Summary
The total number of regional resident support cases has increased by 454 (6%) compared to FY
2014 but the number of new patients has decreased. The accumulated results show that this is due todifferences in patients according to each regional center, as well as different response methods. As aresult, we suspect that these are not due to regional differences but those due to the policies of thecooperating municipalities as well as the points of emphasis and policies of each regional center.
Additionally, we introduced identification techniques since FY 2014, which enabled us to not only
determine the number of cases but also the actual number of patients. The actual number of patientsin FY 2015 was 2859 (this includes duplicates such as relocation and excludes those receiving support
only by mail, interviews during research, and individuals whose personal information was notcollected such as with singular telephone consultations).
３． Care worker support
We conducted workshops and consultations for care workers and provided stress care and professional
advice.
（１） Summary of care worker support① Support activities (Table 8)
The number of cases and patients decreased from 1915 in FY 2014 to 1606. The establishmentof case conferences and mental wellness consultation booths, as well as support for administrative
projects, have increased since FY 2014, and changes in support content can be observed.
Guidance and advice from professionals decreased from 415 cases in FY 2014 to 387 but
requests for “guidance and advice on alcohol-related problems” have remained consistently high(Table 9). Abuse-related problems, which was the third-highest in FY 2014 with 46 support cases,
had become the second-highest in FY 2015 and we have given increased attention to its future changes.
Additionally, as the overall number of cases decreases, the number of PTSD support cases hasremained the same since FY 2014 and we have given it further attention as well.
The content and fraction of support have varied considerably according to each center ormanaging Division. Additionally, the fraction of professional guidance and advice on alcohol-related
problems from the Ishinomaki center, Stem center support division and dispatched individuals has
increased (Figures 26, 27).

－ 94 －

Table 8 Implementation status for care worker support (Total number；N ＝ 1,606)

Support activities
Report after a visit or interview

Number of cases
237

Number of patients
375

Guidance and advice fromprofessionals
Local issues

387

1,375

30

160

Workplace mental health care

39

178

Case conference (when client is
not present)
Opening the mental wellness
Consultation booth
Health examination support

270

1,336

56

63

30

157

Administrative support

503

840

Other

54

288

Total

1,606

4,772

Table 9 Details on professional guidance and advice (Total number, Multiple options; N ＝ 387)

Details on professional guidance and advice0

Number of cases

alcohol-related problems

107

Gambling problems

5

Drug problems

4

Depression

24Complicated grief

6

PTSD

10

100

Abuse

56

Other

232

200

300

400

500

600

700

Kesennuma Center Support Division

Report after a visit or interview
Guidance and advice from professionals

Ishinomaki Center Support Division

Local issues

Stem Center Support Division

Workplace mental health care
Case conference （ With thepresence of the client
Opening the mental wellness Consultation booth
Health examination support
Administrative support
Other

Dispatched
Planning and Coordination Department
Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 26 Implementation status for care worker support
according to each managing division (Total number, Multiple
0

100

200

Kesennuma Center Support Division
Alcohol-related problems
Gambling problems
Drug problems
Depression

Ishinomaki Center Support Division
Stem Center Support Division
Dispatched

Complicated grief
PTSD
Abuse
Other

Planning and Coordination Department
Stem Center management
Part-time / contractor
Supporters clubs, otherFigure 27 Details on professional guidance and advice according toeach managing division (Total number 、 Multiple answers allowed ；N）－ 95 －

② Victims receiving support
The number of support activities in FY 2015 was 4772 and, similarly to FY 2014, the fraction of
government officials was considerably high. Although the number of support cases at many
institutions including private organizations has decreased relative to previous years, the number of
support cases for school officials and those in the child welfare fields increased (Figure 28).
0

1,000

Government officials

2,000

3,000
2,789

Temporary housing
support staff
health care providers
Private organizations
School officials
Support centerregional general
support center
Child welfare
Social Welfare
Councilprofessionalorganizations
Disability welfare
volunteers
corporations
Senior welfare
Health advocate
Public organization
resident association
staff member
Public welfare officers
and ward mayor
PoliceSelf-help group
Officials from otherregions
Legal or judicial
officials
Self Defense Force
Fire Department
Fire brigade
Other

Figure 28 Details of victims receiving support（ Total number of people ；N ＝ 4,772）－ 96 －

（２）Deployment of specialists to municipalities (dispatched) (Figure 29)
In response to requests to municipalities, we dispatched 8 staff members to 7 municipalities in FY
2015. One individual was an occupational therapist (four days a week), whereas the rest werepsychiatric social workers (five days a week). These dispatched staff members were engaged in awide range of duties, including cooperation with health surveys and post-survey support and support
for individual consultations.

April 1st, 2012

April 1st, 2013

April 1st, 2014

April 1st, 2015

April 1st, 2016

Kesennuma city
Ongoing
Minamisanriku
Ishinomaki City

Ongoing
Ongoing

Eastern health welfare office
Higashimatsushima city

Ongoing
OngoingOnagawa town
Shiogama city

OngoingNatori city

Ongoing

Iwanuma city
Psychiatric Social
WorkerClinical
Psychologist

Occupational
Therapist

Nurse

Figure 29Dispatched staff member situation（３） Summary
Although the overall number of support cases are declining, the ongoing need in FY 2014 for support
in alcohol-related problems can be seen in all regions. Considering that increased cooperation with school
officials and the child welfare disciplines, as well as the increased number of support cases for abuseproblems, have been observed, we need to actively provide support for children in the future.

－ 97 －

４． Raising public awarenessNo major changes in the total number of cases were observed since FY 2014, which had 392 cases. However,when broken down by categories, the number of correspondence cases with news agencies halved to 9 cases andwe could see that awareness has gradually decreased. However, the number of hosted salon events has remained
stable compared to FY 2014 (Table 10).
Table 10 Implementation status of public awareness （Ｎ＝ 378）
Content
Distribution of publicawareness products
Website management update
and posting
Educational workshops
Salon events
Public awareness activity
that uses media
TV setNewspapers andmagazines
Other
Opening the mental wellness
Consultation booth
Presentations at academic
societies and professionalorganizations
Correspondence with news
agencies
Facilitating observational
visits
Other
Total

Numberof times
9

Number of patients

16

-

96
180
17

2,498
1,913
-

（0）
（7）

-

（10）
38

-

0

0

9

-

9

-

4
378

4,411

-

（１） PR materials

We published Nos. 13 and 14 of the Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center newsletter biannually in FY
2015. These reported initiatives of each Community Support Division, the introduction of new organizations in theregion, and simple relaxation methods.

（２） Development of leaflets （Table 11）
The only newly created content this year was the “for your mental health” pamphlet for rescue workers. We only
reprinted the “alcohol-related illnesses and symptoms” and “let’s learn how to drink wisely” pamphlets.
Table 11 Creation status of pamphlets, etc.

Distribution area Title and content
All areas
inside thePrefecture

Print type

“For your mental health” （ for rescue workers,“Alcohol-related diseases and symptoms”,“Let’s learn how to drink wisely”

New reprinted
reprinted

Number ofcopies
25,0003,000
5,000（３） Educational workshops （Table 12）
Given the increased number of themes on addiction disorders, self-care, workplace mental health,etc., the amount of content relating to mental illnesses and its effects on children has decreased andchanges in regional issues are suspected.
－ 98 －

Table 12 Details of educational workshops （N ＝ 96）

Number of times

Number of participants

Post-disaster psychological responses

2

178

Mental illness

4229

Basic interview techniques （ listening 、 the support forsurviving families, etc.）
addiction disorders （ alcohol-related problems, etc.）

3

42

24

308

Impact of the earthquake on children

1

10Stress, mental care, and self-care

41

842

physical health1172

workplace mental health

9777

Status of the disaster area and activities of our center

140（４） Salon events （Table 13）
The number of salons sponsored by the center has increased from 67 in FY 2014 to 97 this year.
The number has increased in each regional center but among these, the Stem center has shown
significant increases. All initiatives had content related to alcohol.
Table 13 Salon events （N ＝ 180）

Community Support Division of each center
Kesennuma

Ishinomaki

Stem center

Other
Dispatchedtotal

Sponsored / co-hosted salon

31

43

18

4

1

97

Cooperation with salons of

17

0

26

35

5

83

other institutions（５）Support for various workshops, co-hosting of events, etc., backing
Co-hosting16

Backing３（６） Summary
For the first few years following the establishment of the center, we focused our efforts on the creationof various pamphlets on themes related to mental health in the disaster-struck areas. In FY 2015, werevised and reprinted the content we had produced, as well as newly created “for your mental health”
pamphlets targeted to fire brigade members.
The number of educational workshops increased in FY 2015. We tried to incorporate music andexercises into these workshops, in addition to the previous lecture-focused content. In combination withthe workshops, we have effectively applied the various pamphlets we have created.
Additionally, on our home page, we have made registration to our electronic magazine possible andposted the “Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center Newsletter” for online view.
We would like to continue disseminating information in a multi-layer fashion by combining andapplying many of these methods and effectively raising public awareness.
We have also engaged in new initiatives, such as providing occupational field support for a total ofnine times in coordination with the Miyagi branch of the Japan Health Insurance Association (JHIA).

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５． Human resource development（１） Hosting meetings
Mental health care meetings for disaster victims were hosted in three locations in the prefecture, and in
FY 2015, it was hosted in Iwanuma City for the first time. Participants included various care workers suchas private organizations, government officials, and professional organizations. New initiatives were
undertaken with the hosting of the meeting in the Ishinomaki area, including the organization of theexecutive committee (Table 14).
（２） Hosting media conferences
In FY 2015, the center introduced the current status of alcohol-related problems, as well as various
initiatives that listen to the voices of residents and transmit them (community FM, information magazines,
newspapers) and reported on the current status of disaster areas in terms of activities.
（３） Disaster-related thematic training sessions
We entitled this “study of multiple disasters in East Japan”, and reported on the current status of Fukushima
prefecture, as well as contributed to themes on facilitator development and training and coordination with otherprofessions.
（４） Various workshops, co-hosting events, etc., and backing
・ Co-hosting: 14
・ Backing: ４（５） Three-prefecture Mental Health Care Center Meeting
This meeting was hosted for communication and information sharing between staff members at disastermental health care centers in Miyagi, Fukushima, and Iwate, which were established in the wake of theGreat East Japan Earthquake. Workshops and exchanges of opinions within groups were conducted at themeeting.
〇 July: Implementation status of mental health care activities and status report of each center/groupdebates/discussion〇February: Exchange of opinions and staff member communication using the world café format（６） General staff meeting and general training
A total of five meetings were held for center staff members on the fourth Friday on a bi-monthly basis.
Of these, two were conducted at each regional center to understand the actual situation of other regions.
We incorporated significant amounts of time to allow for the exchange of opinions between staff members.
We conducted workshops for newly appointed employees for those who have just started work. We
conducted three of these in FY 2015.
（７） Summary
There is a high demand for training for support techniques and addiction-related problems and we
intend to continue these efforts in the future. We have an opportunity to expand local networks and theinitiatives of other regions by hosting meetings in various regions. We intend to continue hosting these inother regions in the future as well

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Table 14 Implementation status of human resource development（N ＝ 159）

Content
Earthquake meeting

Number oftimes
3

Number ofparticipants
138

Media conference1

22

Addiction disorders

34

797

（ About alcohol ）

（34）

（797）

43

1,782

（ About listening ）

（14）

（766）

（ Other ）

（26）

（903）

（ Other addictions ）（0）

Support skill workshops（ Stress, mental care, and self-care ）The mental health of care worker workshops

（3）
5

（0）

（113）
297

Workplace mental health training

9427

Workshops on mental health care for children

22

1,287

Workshops on the mental health of the elderly

118

Workshops on issues related to suicide prevention

10

203

Workshops on mental illness and disorders

9248

Disaster area situation and center activities

8

163

Case study

6

61

Other
Total

8

253

159

5,696

６． Other（１） Support for various activities
We need to consider the development of new communities in local organizations as support
organizations from outside the prefecture gradually pull out of the region. The Kesennuma center actively
cooperates with local support organizations and collaborates with their community development.
（２） Research
We conduct investigations and research to understand the current status of disaster-affected areas andpeople. A portion of this was conducted as the Health and Labor Sciences Research Grants Research
Project (Joint Research).
① Health surveys for municipal officials, etc.
② Health surveys for the municipal Social Welfare Council③ Research group operation④ Statistical system development⑤ We introduced identification technology to support patients starting from FY 2015, which
determined the actual number of patients and content analysis possible. Additionally, we
created an “ID ledger/activity record system” from the VPC environment in the middle of theyear and accumulated all activity records into a single file. Searching, input activities, andindividual specialized ID issuance were automated as a result, and manual search and input
work decreased.
⑥ Bulletin publication
We published 1200 copies of the 3rd edition of the bulletin (FY 2014) and distributed them to associatedinstitutions at 880 locations.
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７． Summary
As the number of dispatched staff members decreased, the total number of regional resident support
has increased since FY 2014. We believe that a reason for this was that the centers in each region haveclarified their management roles and that these roles have become recognized by their surrounding
communities. Additionally, with regards to the care worker support category of “professional advice andguidance”, advice and guidance requests for alcohol-related problems remain high.
One major characteristic of regional resident support and care worker support projects in FY 2015 wasthat the patient profile and the approaches taken by each regional center varied significantly. We can seethat they were able to specifically target patients while understanding the actual situations of each region,
closely examine support content, and conduct independent initiatives while fully utilizing the skills of eachstaff member.
With regards to activities to raise public awareness, we have strived to achieve an effect from various
initiatives, including the use of created pamphlets at workshops and publishing training reports on
information magazines and the internet. In the future, we would like to raise public awareness in theoccupational and pediatric fields as well.
Initiatives for human resource development activities also continued to have a high number of cases
dealing with alcohol-related problems. We would like to closely examine the venues and themes of distinct
projects managed by the center (e.g., earthquake mental health meetings, three-prefecture mental healthcare center meetings) and prepare projects that are suitable for the current period.
It has been over five years since the earthquake and it is precise because of this that there are issues
that must be examined and roles that must be managed by the center. Our basic stance remains unchanged
and we would like to continue to respond to regional needs with respect and humility.

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