Mental health experts warn that the continuing humanitarian crisis in Japan is taking a heavy psychological toll on survivors. With an estimated 27,500 dead or missing following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, thousands remain homeless in makeshift camps with minimal resources available. Despondency and depression are becoming increasingly common as survivors recognize that their plight will likely continue for an indefinite period of time. According to one volunteer doctor at a shelter in the heavily effected Iwate Prefecture,
"For a lot of people who, up until this point, have been able to ignore reality and what actually happened, as they get back on their feet they realize that, for instance, their house is gone or their children are dead and they're being forced to confront these facts. A lot of them are extremely uncertain as to what they can do".
Despite a massive humanitarian relief effort to house, feed, and clothe survivors, there are few resources available for mental health services. Posttraumatic symptoms remain common with many survivors being afraid to sleep at night out of fear of earthquakes. This fear is compounded by the hundreds of aftershocks recorded since March 11 and the continuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima reactor site. Survivors often report sleeping fully clothed and are easily startled by even routine noises in their environmet. While psychological counseling centres have been set up at many disaster evacuee sites, with posters describing possible symptoms of posttraumatic stress, there are an inadequate number of counselors. Survivors often report being unable to find volunteer counselors when needed and are forced to cope on their own as a result.
Inadequate mental health services has been a common feature of similar disasters in other countries around the Pacific ring of fire. The psychological aftermath of previous earthquakes, including the Kobe earthquake in 1995, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and the 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan province have all left scars on survivors which continue to this day. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to physical problems resulting from mental stress. To assist child evacuees, the Japanese government is working to reopen schools in areas affected by the tsumani. Officials remain confident that school will be open for children by the time classes begin on April 12 to help children resume their normal life. While teachers and school administers are aware of the psychological problems their children face, the road to recovery is likely to be long.
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