A research group consisting of Assistant Professor Hitomi Usukura, Associate Professor Yasuto Kunii, and Professor Hiroaki Tomita of the Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University International Research Institute of Disaster Science, has been mentally treated by a health center staff member in Miyagi Prefecture who has experienced a response to the new corona virus. When asked about the health situation, it was found that about 7% complained of insomnia.
The survey was conducted from September to November 2020, targeting the staff of 9 health centers in Miyagi prefecture who were involved in telephone consultations on the new corona, and analyzed the responses of 11 people.According to it, insomnia symptoms were 9%.Psychological distress was seen in 23% and post-traumatic stress response was seen in 69.6%.In addition, depressive symptoms were reported in 56.5%, anxiety symptoms in 45.5%, and drinking problems in 31.8%.
These numbers are comparable to medical professionals who treat at the forefront of the new corona, highlighting the fact that health center staff are wearing down their minds and bodies in response to negative emotions such as anxiety and anger hit by counselors. rice field.
The survey is being conducted at the time of the transition from the second wave of the new corona to the third wave in Japan.Currently, in the middle of the 2th wave, Miyagi Prefecture is subject to priority measures such as prevention of spread, and the infection situation has worsened since that time.For this reason, the research group believes that the current state of mental health may be even worse than the findings.
Paper information:[Asian Journal of Psychiatry] The mental health problems of public health center staffduring the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
