Mental Health Difficulties and Countermeasures during the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic in Japan: A Nationwide Questionnaire Survey of Mental Health and Psychiatric Institutions

Tomohiro Nakao, Keitaro Murayama, Sho Takahashi, Mami Kayama, Daisuke Nishi, Toru Horinouchi, Nozomu Oya and Hironori Kuga
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Tomohiro Nakao: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 8128582, Japan
Keitaro Murayama: Department of Psychiatry, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka 8128582, Japan
Sho Takahashi: Department of Disaster and Community Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 3058577, Japan
Mami Kayama: Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, Graduate School of Nursing, St. Luke’s International University, Tokyo 1040044, Japan
Daisuke Nishi: Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1130033, Japan
Toru Horinouchi: Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 0600808, Japan
Nozomu Oya: Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 6028566, Japan
Hironori Kuga: National Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 1878551, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: The number of people with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been increasing worldwide. Anxiety about potential infection, fear of severe illness, death, economic problems, and loneliness and isolation brought on by social distancing are increasingly being experienced by people. Therefore, it is imperative to address and improve such mental health-related problems during COVID-19. We aimed to investigate the current mental health care and psychological intervention statuses related to COVID-19 in Japan. In a questionnaire survey, 55 of 69 (80%) mental health and welfare centers and 194 of 931 (21%) psychiatric institutions across Japan responded. COVID-19 patients, their family members, and the general public often consulted the mental health and welfare institutions through telephone. The questionnaire included various information of mental health difficulties related to COVID-19 such as the numbers and contents of the consultations, and the type of the interventions. The contents of consultation included psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, insomnia, and alcohol problems) and psychosocial problems (interpersonal problems, prejudice, and discrimination). Overall, 9% of mental health and welfare centers provided psychological first aid as psychological intervention and 28% of consultations involved cases requiring urgent care. In Japan, consultations about COVID-19-related mental health problems occurred mainly in mental health and welfare centers. There is urgent need to establish a system that enables mental health triage and brief psychological interventions that are feasible in the centers.

Keywords: COVID-19; mental health; questionnaire survey; mental health and welfare centers; psychological intervention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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