Like any busy industrialised society, the people of Japan are prone to what is rather charmingly called ‘the heart flu’ – Depression.
In an attempt to break down mental health taboos and to give people a taste of possible therapies, Keio University professors have launched a psychotherapy service for mobile phones. The service uses question and answer sessions to identify problems and suggest ways of rationalizing them, based on a form of Cognitive Therapy.
Although not intended as a replacement for proper psychological evaluation and care, the designers hope it can encourage users to seek help and provide some short term assistance.
“I think this can be helpful for people in times of need or when they feel a little blue, as a form of daily prevention against depression,” said Professor Yutaka Ohno.
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About Stuart Houghton
Actually the word for depression in everyday Japanese is “utsubyou” and not “kokoro no kaze (the heart flu)” as has been erroneously reported in English media articles. Also over the last ten years a lot of progress has been made in overcoming the traditional stigma against admitting to either having a mental illness or admitting to others outside your family that someone in your family is suffering from and/or dealing with a mental illness in their lives. This is particularly true with regards to greater acceptance of depression and anxiety disorders.
I would also like to suggest that as many Japanese people have very high reading skills in English that any articles dealing with suicide in Japan could usefully provide contact details for hotlines and support services for people who are depressed and feeling suicidal.
Some useful telephone numbers and links for residents of Tokyo and Japan who speak Japanese and/or English and are feeling depressed or suicidal and need to get in touch with a mental health professional qualified in Japan:
Inochi no Denwa (Lifeline Telephone Service):
Japan: 0120-738-556
Tokyo: 3264 4343
AMDA International Medical Information Center:
http://amda-imic.com/
http://www.counselingjapan.com
All the best from Tokyo!
Andrew Grimes JCCCP, JCP
Tokyo Counseling Services:
http://tokyocounseling.com/english/
http://tokyocounseling.com/jp/