Psychiatric Outpatients After the 3.11 Complex Disaster in Fukushima, Japan

Authors

  • Arinobu Hori Department of Disaster and Comprehensive Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Hiroshi Hoshino Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Itaru Miura Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Masaki Hisamura Department of Emergency Medicine Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
  • Akira Wada Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Shuntaro Itagaki Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Yasuto Kunii Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Junya Matsumoto Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Hirobumi Mashiko Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Craig L. Katz Departments of Psychiatry and Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
  • Hirooki Yabe Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
  • Shin-Ichi Niwa Department of Psychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2016.09.010

Keywords:

disaster, nuclear power plant accident, evacuation, acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorder, depression, Fukushima

Abstract

Background

After the 3.11 complex disaster, fear of radioactive contamination and forced evacuation influenced a number of residents to seek psychiatric care.

Objectives

This study assessed the sequential changes in the number of new outpatients and patients with acute stress disorder (ASD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorder, and depression after the Fukushima disaster.

Methods

We distributed questionnaires to 77 psychiatric institutions to determine the number of new outpatients between March and June in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Findings

There were 771, 1000, and 733 new patients in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively. We observed a statistically significant increase in new patients with ASD or PTSD and a significant decrease in patients with depression in 2011, which returned to predisaster levels in 2012.

Conclusions

There were time- and disease-dependent changes in the numbers of psychiatric care-seeking individuals after the 3.11 complex disaster in Fukushima.

Author Biographies

Arinobu Hori, Department of Disaster and Comprehensive Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD

Hiroshi Hoshino, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MA

Itaru Miura, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Masaki Hisamura, Department of Emergency Medicine Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan

MD, PhD

Akira Wada, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Shuntaro Itagaki, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Yasuto Kunii, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Junya Matsumoto, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Hirobumi Mashiko, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Craig L. Katz, Departments of Psychiatry and Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

MD

Hirooki Yabe, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

Shin-Ichi Niwa, Department of Psychiatry, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

MD, PhD

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Published

2017-03-08

Issue

Vol. 82 No. 5 (2016)

Section

Original Research

License

Copyright (c) 2017 The Author(s)

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