Page 407 - 2014 Printable Abstract Book
P. 407
confusions without effective countermeasures, which unfortunately misled the public to a “man-made”
suspicious mind. Keio University School of Medicine Department of Neuropsychiatry provided
psychosocial support to those living in Soma City, which is 40 km from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
plant. Three parties were dispatched from our university at the request of Tokyo Metropolitan
Government, as the first official and organized psychiatry teams. Prior to the Earthquake, Soma city was
known for the “Soma incident”, which occurred at the end of the 19th century, and is still considered to
be the origin of psychiatric stigma in Japan. This presentation will begin with this specific background and
proceed to the actual support activities with comparison to the desired model for psychosocial
interventions on site. Especially from the radiation research aspect, almost all psychosocial issues derived
from the absence of trustworthy information about the environmental contamination. Many refugees
were confounded by the gaps between information announced by the government and rumors, resulting
in misinformed “man-made” anxieties, sometimes easily relieved even by showing them a dosimeter. In
addition, future directions for psychosocial support will be addressed including the importance of the
accumulating knowledge regarding radiation effects.
suspicious mind. Keio University School of Medicine Department of Neuropsychiatry provided
psychosocial support to those living in Soma City, which is 40 km from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
plant. Three parties were dispatched from our university at the request of Tokyo Metropolitan
Government, as the first official and organized psychiatry teams. Prior to the Earthquake, Soma city was
known for the “Soma incident”, which occurred at the end of the 19th century, and is still considered to
be the origin of psychiatric stigma in Japan. This presentation will begin with this specific background and
proceed to the actual support activities with comparison to the desired model for psychosocial
interventions on site. Especially from the radiation research aspect, almost all psychosocial issues derived
from the absence of trustworthy information about the environmental contamination. Many refugees
were confounded by the gaps between information announced by the government and rumors, resulting
in misinformed “man-made” anxieties, sometimes easily relieved even by showing them a dosimeter. In
addition, future directions for psychosocial support will be addressed including the importance of the
accumulating knowledge regarding radiation effects.
