Heya. Since I am in an application process for working in Tokyo and have PTSD (currently mostly asymptomatic, not currently medicated), I had a few questions.
I know that mental health treatment pretty much sucks in Japan, especially for conditions like ADHD given the fact amphetamines are strictly prohibited. Also heard that depression isn’t treated very seriously and that doctors tell you stuff like “You should be more happy” lmao, but in all honesty I have heard that one from many Western doctors and psychiatrists as well.
My questions are precise:
\- How are first-line responders in case of suicide attempts or other acute psychiatric crisis? (extremely improbable that this happens but it’s important to have an idea of the landscape before landing in).
\- Are there good English-speaking phone lines (it can be generic but if there is a trauma-informed one, it’s always better)?
\- Is there a national center for the treatment of PTSD or a sort of address book where you can find trauma specialists?
\- What is the attitude of doctors regarding the prescription of benzodiazepines and other anxiolytic drugs (not stimulants)?
\- If your drugs aren’t banned substances, can pharmacists accept the prescription of a foreign psychiatric doctor (from the EU)?
I did live in a foreign country I didn’t speak the native language of for six months before, right in the middle of the most aggressive phase of the lockdown and while being in an acute phase of PTSD. That wasn’t funny.
However I could manage to get visio appointments with my pdoc and have my prescriptions right and it worked well because the local legislation accepted it without any problem. This is a system I would like to continue, because it would avoid the hassle of having to find another, new doctor.
If anyone had some experience with that it would be a good help for planning things out.
As regarding the type of PTSD since that might be relevant, it’s mostly from severe to extreme domestic violence. I don’t have much problems talking about it thanks to therapy, but it might be more sensitive as a topic than say, PTSD from natural disasters or a car accident. No matter the cause, they all suck.
But the human perspective following interpersonal violence is different than a random disaster, so having some place/clinic/support group/sufferers association/whatever kind of association that understands those specifics might be of a great help.
It would be reasonable to think I might not want to go to a country of which I don’t speak the language while suffering from a mental health condition, but please consider that this is something that I am carefully considering by asking this question. I need to know what is available, what is possible and what isn’t, so problems do not arise once there but ca be somewhat prevented in advance.
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Treatment of PTSD in Tokyo**
Heya. Since I am in an application process for working in Tokyo and have PTSD (currently mostly asymptomatic, not currently medicated), I had a few questions.
I know that mental health treatment pretty much sucks in Japan, especially for conditions like ADHD given the fact amphetamines are strictly prohibited. Also heard that depression isn’t treated very seriously and that doctors tell you stuff like “You should be more happy” lmao, but in all honesty I have heard that one from many Western doctors and psychiatrists as well.
My questions are precise:
– How are first-line responders in case of suicide attempts or other acute psychiatric crisis? (extremely improbable that this happens but it’s important to have an idea of the landscape before landing in).
– Are there good English-speaking phone lines (it can be generic but if there is a trauma-informed one, it’s always better)?
– Is there a national center for the treatment of PTSD or a sort of address book where you can find trauma specialists?
– What is the attitude of doctors regarding the prescription of benzodiazepines and other anxiolytic drugs (not stimulants)?
– If your drugs aren’t banned substances, can pharmacists accept the prescription of a foreign psychiatric doctor (from the EU)?
I did live in a foreign country I didn’t speak the native language of for six months before, right in the middle of the most aggressive phase of the lockdown and while being in an acute phase of PTSD. That wasn’t funny.
However I could manage to get visio appointments with my pdoc and have my prescriptions right and it worked well because the local legislation accepted it without any problem. This is a system I would like to continue, because it would avoid the hassle of having to find another, new doctor.
If anyone had some experience with that it would be a good help for planning things out.
As regarding the type of PTSD since that might be relevant, it’s mostly from severe to extreme domestic violence. I don’t have much problems talking about it thanks to therapy, but it might be more sensitive as a topic than say, PTSD from natural disasters or a car accident. No matter the cause, they all suck.
But the human perspective following interpersonal violence is different than a random disaster, so having some place/clinic/support group/sufferers association/whatever kind of association that understands those specifics might be of a great help.
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>- How are first-line responders in case of suicide attempts or other acute psychiatric crisis? (extremely improbable that this happens but it’s important to have an idea of the landscape before landing in).
First-line responders like ambulances and emergency rooms are extremely slow (although free or nearly free). Whatever you do, don’t have any emergency—even a broken leg—on the weekend in Tokyo since you might spend six hours in an ambulance looking for a hospital to willing admit you (most ERs are closed on weekends and holidays).
>- Are there good English-speaking phone lines (it can be generic but if there is a trauma-informed one, it’s always better)?
[Tele-Help is limited](https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/mental-health-in-japan/) but available. https://telljp.com/learn-about-tell-and-tokyo/
>- If your drugs aren’t banned substances, can pharmacists accept the prescription of a foreign psychiatric doctor (from the EU)?
Nope.
Japanese pharmacists cannot accept the prescription of a foreign psychiatric doctor. Your EU doctor could ***try*** to find a Japanese doctor to work with them (but that’s a long shot).
You will need to be rediagnosed here in Japan and doing that will be a real pain.