臨床心理士

Alcholism

2012-01-31T14:23:00.001+09:00

Facing up to alcoholism in foreign land can help or hinder recovery

By ASHLEY THOMPSON

A reader has a query about alcoholism in Japan: "How is it generally perceived and what kind of help is available for foreign alcoholics who speak little to no Japanese?"

It will come as no surprise to any Japan resident to hear that alcoholism is a problem in this country, just as it is in other parts of the world. Needless to say, this disease affects not only Japanese but non-Japanese living here as well.

However, many people still believe that alcohol dependency is something that affects only certain groups, such as the homeless, and that it isn't a disease at all, says Sachio Matsushita, Vice Director of the National Hospital Kurihama Alcoholism Center, the largest treatment center in Japan. Only recently, Matsushita says, have these misconceptions begun to change.

So is it more difficult for English-speaking foreigners to deal with alcoholism in Japan?

Not necessarily, says Andrew Grimes, a licensed clinical psychologist in Japan, of Tokyo Counseling Services. The unfamiliar circumstances in which an expatriate might find themselves in Japan could actually force them to face up to their drinking habits and the issues behind them.

"Because of the lack of support and lack of roots, as it were, it's actually a place sometimes where people have to confront their problems," Grimes explains. "Although it can feel like an absolute hell to do so in a foreign environment, sometimes people with alcoholism find it's easy to avoid facing up to the truth of their addiction while still in their home countries.

"In their own language and culture it's easier to move around and the addiction knows how to deny and delay the realization that their drinking is the problem."

TR, a non-Japanese member of Alcoholics Anonymous living in Japan, adds: "In Japan, since there are fewer foreigners around, drinkers may become lonelier faster than if they were, say, lonely in New York where people speak English. Loneliness is kind of a killer and drives many people, like me, to seek help and call AA for the first time. So the lonely factor — the 'gaijin isolation' factor — may actually help an alcoholic to 'hit bottom' and reach out for help.

"Also, since drinking a lot is tolerated in Japan, a problem drinker may go ahead and drink a lot, and get very sick and tired of it, and want to quit, versus in the U.S. For example, sometimes a person gets in some kind of legal trouble for drinking and doesn't really want to quit, but is told to do so by a judge.

"Many people are 'sentenced' to AA meetings and come with a paper that must be signed as proof of attendance, but they don't want to be at the meetings and don't want to stop drinking. Yes, some eventually are attracted by our laughter in AA meetings and find they do want our way of life, without drinking. But many go out and do what we jokingly call 'further research' into alcoholism — i.e., drink a lot more."

One obstacle that may stand in the way of recovery is the "expat bubble." Grimes says that though there are many expats who will only drink the same amount as they did in their home countries, and those who don't drink at all, "expatriate communities tend to drink a lot. Some people may drink more in an expatriate community than they might at home. When you are a long way from home, the pressure is on to be sociable and maintain friendships, and drink more."

Another stumbling block is the potential difficulty of finding resources in English. Rest assured, though, wherever you are in the country, you can get help if you want it.

In severe cases when a rehab center might be ideal, most, if not all, treatment centers in Japan typically only offer support for Japanese-speakers.

Grimes explains: "When alcoholism is such a problem that it requires staying in a rehabilitation facility, there are perhaps one or two facilities where people can go — of course if they speak Japanese there are many — but my experience with English-speakers from other countries who only speak some Japanese or no Japanese at all, usually if it's so extreme then I recommend that they go into rehab back in their home countries."

Alcoholics Anonymous exists in Japan and there are some English meetings, though most are in Japanese.

"The number of English-speaking AA meetings is limited," TR says. "However, with the Internet (Skype), email, phone calls and visits, a person living in the deep countryside in Japan who wants to quit drinking can find help."

Japan Can Avoid Summer Power Cuts Without Nuclear

2012-01-28T11:17:00.001+09:00

(Reuters) - Japan will be able to avoid power cuts this summer even if the nation's last few nuclear reactors cease operating due to public safety fears after the Fukushima crisis, the government said on Friday.

Until the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, nuclear energy provided a third of Japan's power. But public anxiety since the disaster, which triggered a radiation crisis at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, has prevented the restart of reactors shut for routine checks.

Only three of the nation's 54 reactors remain in use and all are due to go off-line by the spring, despite government efforts to regain public trust in the industry.

The loss of nuclear power has raised fears of forced power rationing and temporary blackouts in the summer peak demand period, when air conditioning puts extra strains on supply.

But Trade Minister Yukio Edano said there was a good chance of coping without such mandatory cuts on electricity usage even if all the reactors were shut.

"We don't know how much electricity will be available this summer because it depends on the separate matter of reaching a conclusion about safety concerns," Edano told a news conference.

"We would have to call for conservation of electricity, but there's an excellent chance (the power lost if all nuclear plants are shut this summer) can be overcome without placing curbs on electricity consumption," he added.

The government, worried about a power crunch, is pushing for reactors to resume operations, even as it reviews the role of nuclear power in the resource-poor country's energy mix in a new mid- to long-term program to be decided in coming months.

Japan has abandoned its plan to boost nuclear power to more than half of its electricity supply by 2030, but proponents argue that atomic power is vital to prevent more Japanese companies from moving abroad in search of lower costs, and to provide a stable electricity supply.

Last summer, Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the Fukushima plant, struggled to meet power demand, sparking government-mandated power savings by big industrial users.

This winter the government urged users to reduce electricity use during peak hours in Osaka and surrounding areas of western Japan, covered by Kansai Electric Power Co, and on the southern main island of Kyushu, covered by Kyushu Electric Power Co.

Kansai Electric and Kyushu Electric are two of Japan's most nuclear-reliant utilities.

Officials are now reviewing results of stress tests that use computer simulations to show if reactors can withstand extreme events like last year's quake and tsunami.

Experts from the U.N. atomic watchdog visited the Ohi nuclear plant in central Japan on Thursday after Japan's nuclear safety agency said tests on two Ohi reactors showed they were capable of withstanding a severe shock. The U.N. experts will hold a briefing next week.

A panel of Japanese experts will review the tests, with local governments also required to approve reactor restarts before cabinet ministers give the final go-ahead.

The mayor of Ohi, however, said further clarification on safety standards and stress tests was needed.

"We can't determine whether the reactors can be restarted at this phase. What needs to be clarified are regulations that could prevent severe accidents and the necessary safety standards, then we can move on to the issue of restarts," Ohi mayor Shinobu Tokioka told Reuters in a written response to questions.

"The stress tests gave ratings but the town of Ohi cannot use this to decide whether to restart the reactors or not, as no pass or fail threshold has been set at this stage."

A tough choice faces many local governments that host nuclear power plants -- not allowing their restarts may help soothe safety concerns but the facilities also create employment and budget revenue.

(Additional reporting by Yoko Kubota; writing by Linda Sieg and James Topham; Editing byChris Gallagher and Michael Watson)

Earthquake Magnitude 5.1 23/1/2012

2012-01-23T21:01:00.001+09:00

#Earthquake #Tokyo #Japan just had a Level 3 quake Tokyo and many mainland prefectures.; Level 5 in Fukushima Pref,no#tsunami alert. M 5.1

Japan Quake Map

http://www.japanquakemap.com/

Government Cabinet Kept Worse-case Fukushima Radiation Tokyo Danger Report Secret

2012-01-23T09:18:00.001+09:00

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Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012

Cabinet kept alarming nuke report secret

Fearful of scaring public, existence of document was denied for months

Kyodo

The government buried a worst-case scenario for the Fukushima nuclear crisis that was drafted last March and kept it under wraps until the end of last year, sources in the administration said Saturday.

After the document was shown to a small, select group of senior government officials at the prime minister's office in late March, the administration of then Prime Minister Naoto Kan decided to quietly bury it, the sources said.

"When the document was presented (in March), a discussion ensued about keeping its existence secret," a government source said. government treated it as a personal document of Japan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Shunsuke Kondo, who authored it, until the end of December, the sources said.

In order to deny its existence, the government treated it as a personal document of Japan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Shunsuke Kondo, who authored it, until the end of December, the sources said.

It was only then that it was actually recognized as an official government document, they said.

"The content was so shocking that we decided to treat it as if it didn't exist," a senior government official said.

A private-sector panel investigating the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant intends to examine whether the government tried to manipulate information during its handling of the crisis.

The panel plans to interview Kan and Goshi Hosono, minister in charge of the nuclear crisis and Kan's former adviser, among others.

Kondo drew up the document at Kan's request and is dated March 25, 2011. The document forecast that in a worst-case scenario the plant's crippled reactors would intermittently release massive quantities of radioactive materials for about a year.

The projection was based on a scenario in which a hydrogen explosion would tear through the No. 1 reactor's containment vessel, forcing all workers at the plant to evacuate because of the ensuing lethal radiation levels.

The document said that in such an event, residents within a radius of 170 km of the power station, and possibly even further away, would be forced to evacuate. Those living within a radius of between 170 km and 250 km of the plant, including Tokyo, could chose to evacuate voluntarily. The wrecked power station is about 220 km northeast of the capital.

Kan admitted in September that a worst-case scenario for the disaster had been drawn up. After parts of it were leaked in December, his successor, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, decided to start treating it as a Cabinet Office document.

"Because we were told there would be enough time to evacuate residents (even in a worst-case scenario), we refrained from disclosing the document due to fear it would cause unnecessary anxiety (among the public)," Hosono, the nuclear crisis minister, said at a Jan. 6 news conference.

Ministry not keeping track

The health ministry has not been keeping track of radiation that workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are exposed to while off-site or off duty, ministry officials said Saturday, prompting concerns that current systems to check exposure may be inadequate.

The health ministry also doesn't check radiation doses that workers are exposed to during decontamination efforts around the wrecked No. 1 plant.

The ministry currently only keeps track of radiation exposure for the plant's employees when they are engaged in work around the facility.

Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120122a1.html

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World Experts Urge UN to Take Up Mental Health

2012-01-22T12:53:00.001+09:00


The UN General Assembly should devote a special session to the matter of MNS disorders, global health experts said (AFP/File, Don Emmert

World experts urge UN to take up mental health

(AFP) – 4 days ago

WASHINGTON — Mental illness and drug abuse can wreak havoc in global societies and economies, and the UN General Assembly should devote a special session to the matter, global health experts said on Tuesday.

Every country in the world is affected by the burden of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders, but often sufferers face discrimination and human rights abuse, said the article in PLoS Medicine.

"The time has come for recognition at the highest levels of global development, namely the UN General Assembly, of the urgent need for a global strategy to address the global burden of MNS disorders," said the article.

Lead authors were Vikram Patel from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Judith Bass from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the United States.

Investment is needed in three key areas, they argued: expanding knowledge about mental health disorders, better access to evidence-based programs of care and treatment, and protection of human rights.

A list of key needs to be addressed and steps to take could be enshrined in a "People's Charter for Mental Health" accounting for input from policy makers, families, researchers and other advocates.

The article said neuropsychiatric disorders will account for the loss of some $16.1 trillion US dollars globally over the next two decades, with "dramatic impacts on productivity and quality of life," particularly as the population ages.

About 25 million people have dementia worldwide, a number set to skyrocket to 80 million by 2040, with close to three quarters of dementia patients concentrated in low and middle income countries.

Meanwhile, suicide claims at least one million lives per year and nearly four percent of all deaths around the world are attributable to alcohol.

Mental illness can also boost risky behaviors that result in disease.

"Depressive disorders markedly increase the risk for noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke, and dementia," said the article.

"Conflict, displacement, poverty, gender-based violence, and other social determinants of ill health increase the risk for MNS disorders," it added.

"MNS disorders are, in turn, associated with worsening of social and economic circumstances, setting up a vicious cycle of poverty and illness."

A majority of world governments would have to agree that the issue is important enough that it deserves a special session at the UN General Assembly.

"The fact that MNS disorders affect people in all countries should offer considerable incentive for investments by both public and private sectors in this initiative," the authors wrote.

Art of Aging in Japan

2012-01-18T07:48:00.001+09:00

News

Is aging something to fear?

Photojournalist Tsuneko Sasamoto speaks during an interview on May 24. (Mainichi)

Aging isn't easy. But the Japanese have figured out how to beat the odds on the process. According to the World Health Organization's World health statistics 2011, Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world. Japanese men have an average life span of 80 years and women 86 years. So, what's their secret to a long life? I've met a few who shared their techniques.

Tsuneko Sasamoto, Japan's first woman photojournalist, could pass for a sprightly septuagenarian. She is still taking photos, holding exhibitions and traveling the world for assignments and speaking engagements. When I met her last year I was shocked to hear her say, "Well, actually, I'm 96." "A nonagenarian? No way," I thought as I stared at her energetic figure and dazzling smile. Her recent book, "Girl with a Curious Spirit -- Now 97," offers clues to her long life. Among them: "A glass of red wine every day."

I met 94-year-old Shuntaroin Hida mid-November. He is a physician, Hiroshima A-bomb survivor (hibakusha) and former director of the Hibakusha Counseling Center.

A group of people aged 90 enjoy a traditional Japanese dance at a respect for the aged event in Gifu on Aug. 18. (Mainichi)

Since narrowly missing the bomb's direct hit on Aug. 6, 1945, he has treated thousands of victims, with both physical and emotional wounds. In the process, he has become a powerful voice in the antinuclear weapons movement. In his memoir, "Under the Mushroom-Shaped Cloud in Hiroshima," Dr. Hida reveals his dedication to humankind, and life.

Famed film director Kaneto Shindo, 98, has also promoted an anti-war message among his 49 films. I met him in April at a press conference where he spoke about his latest and "last" film, "Postcard." The film is based on his own experience as a soldier in World War II. "In a company of 100, I am one of the six survivors with no apparent reason, and it still haunts me," he says. "War is hell." Shindo's powerful and moving films reflect his enduring quest for life's answers.

Creativity has been the driving force behind Toko Shinoda, 98, one of Japan's celebrated sumi (ink) painters. Her abstract works have graced the walls of museums worldwide. Born in Manchuria and raised in Japan, she was inspired by her father's love of calligraphy and Chinese poetry. Staunchly independent, she has never married, has no pupils and never joined any calligraphy group or societies. During our meeting (when she was only 92) she explained, "Every morning I walk up and down the stairs in my atelier. If you lose your legs, that's it." On aging, the elegant and resilient Shinoda says, "Age is only a number." (By Lucy Birmingham)

Profile: Lucy Birmingham is a writer and photographer based in Tokyo for over 20 years. With a specialty in the arts and culture of Japan, her articles have appeared in Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal Asia, Artinfo.com, Artforum.com, ARTnews, among many other Japanese and international publications.

(Mainichi Japan) January 17, 2012

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Disaster survivors express their wishes for 2012: Photo Gallery

2012-01-17T08:47:00.001+09:00

Photo Specials

Disaster survivors express their wishes for 2012

'I wish tsunami will never come again.' Haruki Kanno, 7, a first-grade elementary school student, from Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture.
Click photo for more.

The Mainichi Newspapers Photo Department asked survivors of the March 11, 2011 triple disasters to express their hopes and wishes for the New Year.

Despite lack of everyday "normalcy" as a consequence of the disasters and the still long and unpaved road ahead towards full recovery, the victims' eagerness to live to the fullest is evident from their wishes.

January 13, 2012

Click image to enlarge

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Radioactive Gravel Likely Shipped to Over 200 Construction Companies

2012-01-17T08:41:00.001+09:00

Radioactive gravel likely shipped to over 200 companies

Workers spread lining sheets in a huge trench dug to bury radiation-contaminated topsoil collected from the ground of Yasawa Elementary School and Kindergarten in Minami-Soma, about 20 kilometers away from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility, in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011.(AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Radioactive gravel thought responsible for high radiation readings in a new apartment complex in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, was likely shipped to over 200 companies, making its way into apartments, bridges, and possibly temporary homes for evacuees, according to government investigators.

The gravel was kept in a part of the town of Namie, in an area near the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. From the time the nuclear disaster began to the establishment of the area as an evacuation zone on April 22, the company owning the gravel had shipped 5,200 metric tons of it to 19 companies, according to national and local government sources.

Two of the receiving companies were ready-mix concrete companies and the rest were construction companies. However, the gravel was then reportedly sent on to over 200 other companies, where it was used in building materials.

On Jan. 16, Fukushima Prefectural Government officials agreed at a meeting to work to help move residents from the homes affected by the radioactive gravel, investigate the source of the contamination, and check for other places where contaminated building materials may have been used.

After the nuclear disaster began, standards were set for reuse of sludge and debris that may have been irradiated, but none were set for gravel used in concrete. The gravel industry is regulated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The ministry investigated the gravel industry in areas near the plant in May of last year, but after being told that "the businesses have evacuated and no one is making shipments," it took no special measures.

This satellite file image taken on March 14, 2011, and provided by DigitalGlobe shows the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe)

Since the problem with the gravel surfaced, many calls criticizing the slowness of the government's response have reportedly come in to a call center for the national government set up in Fukushima Prefecture.

Kinki University professor Hideo Yamazaki compared the gravel problem to the one of irradiated straw being sent out around the country: "It's exactly the same problem. The stone quarry is inside the evacuation zone, and what happened was something the government could have predicted. It's frustrating that the government does not think about the movement of materials, including gravel. The ones I feel sorry for are the gravel producers. It was impossible for them to notice the contamination at the time of shipping, and it's not right for them to be blamed. The government's actions have all been reactionary, and the locals are paying for it."

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) January 16, 2012

Futaba-Okuma Deadzone: Unsafe to Human Life for at least 50 years

2012-01-16T16:02:00.003+09:00

2 towns at risk of disappearing / Okuma, Futaba face uncertain future due to nearby crippled N-plant

Yasushi Kaneko / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

How will the government help the estimated 25,000 people who lived in areas where residency likely will be prohibited for an extended period due to the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant?

In particular, Okuma and Futaba towns in Fukushima Prefecture will face extreme hardship because most of their residential areas fall in those areas. The crippled nuclear plant is located in the two towns.

It will be extremely difficult for the municipal governments to restore the towns to their conditions before the disaster. The central government will need to consider providing assistance to the evacuees so they can lead self-reliant lives.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry detected many spots in the two towns where annual levels of exposure to radiation would be 100 millisieverts or higher. This is at least five times higher than the level deemed safe for human habitation.

The ministry measured radiation levels one meter above the ground and monitored the radioactive contamination of soil.

The ministry has regularly measured radiation levels using vehicles and planes in affected prefectures--mainly Fukushima Prefecture but also including Tokyo--with cooperation from local governments.

Air radiation levels were measured at about 3,000 spots in the no-entry zone around the nuclear plant and planned evacuation areas as of Dec. 11. Of them, annual radiation levels of 50 millisieverts or higher were estimated at about 700 spots. These sites likely will be designated as zones where residency is prohibited for an extended period.

According to Japan Atomic Energy Agency calculations, it would take more than 50 years for radiation levels at the sites to naturally fall below the safe limit of 20 millisieverts.

Environment Minister Goshi Hosono has said it will be "difficult to lower air radiation levels with conventional decontamination methods" in areas where annual levels are 50 millisieverts or higher. Residing in these areas will be forbidden for an extended period.

The government has only said "it will likely take at least five years" until residents can shift back to these areas. The government has not specified after how many years residents can return--or even if they actually will be able to live there again.

A survey by Fukushima University found that about 60 percent of residents of the two towns wish to return. Many of the evacuees said they cannot make any concrete plans for the future until it becomes clear whether they will be able to return to the towns.

The government needs to properly explain the current conditions in the towns--and the likely fate of the municipalities--to the evacuees.

Government assistance to evacuees mainly comprises measures that assume they will return home, such as construction of temporary housing units in which they can live for two years in principle.

From now, it will be necessary to consider helping evacuees resettle elsewhere by offering assistance in such fields as employment and education, and helping them fit in and form local communities.

The government should present such measures as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Futaba Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa has suggested his town might need to move elsewhere.

"I'll have to ask for a temporary site to which our town will be relocated," he said to reporters.

Okuma and Futaba might have to consider merging with neighboring municipalities to which some residents will move, if the locals consent to such a tieup.

(Jan. 9, 2012)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120108003576.htm

Futaba-Okuma Deadzone: Unsafe to Human Life for at least 50 years

2012-01-16T16:02:00.001+09:00