Acute Mental Health Needs Duration during Major Disasters: A Phenomenological Experience of Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Teams (DPATs) in Japan

Sho Takahashi, Yoshifumi Takagi, Yasuhisa Fukuo, Tetsuaki Arai, Michiko Watari and Hirokazu Tachikawa
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Sho Takahashi: Department of Disaster and Community Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba; Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
Yoshifumi Takagi: Nihon Fukushi University, Okuda, Mihama-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi 470-3295, Japan
Yasuhisa Fukuo: DPAT secretariat, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8916, Japan
Tetsuaki Arai: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
Michiko Watari: DPAT secretariat, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8916, Japan
Hirokazu Tachikawa: Department of Disaster and Community Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba; Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-11

Abstract: Background: How long acute mental health needs continue after the disaster are problems which must be addressed in the treatment of victims. The aim of this study is to determine victims’ needs by examining activity data from Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Teams (DPATs) in Japan. Methods: Data from four disasters were extracted from the disaster mental health information support system (DMHISS) database, and the transition of the number of consultations and the activity period were examined. Results: Common to all four disasters, the number of consultations increased rapidly from 0–2 days, reaching a peak within about a week. The partial correlation coefficient between the number of days of activity and the maximum number of victims showed significance. The number of victims and days of activity can be used to obtain a regression curve. Conclusions: This is the first report to reveal that mental health needs are the greatest in the hyper-acute stage, and the need for consultation and the duration of needs depends on the number of victims.

Keywords: disaster; Kumamoto earthquake; DMHISS; disaster psychiatry; Japan; acute mental health needs; duration of activity; DPAT (Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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