I am wondering what sort of resources are available for minors who are at high-risk of suicide.
Can a minor admit themselves to a hospital for surveillance without parental consent?
Is there any in-person counselling available for minors who are in emergency? Counsellors in Tokyo who take on emergency situations?
Are you aware of any preventative action plans which coincide with Japanese services? Does your school have an established plan?
Do you have any information regarding the police/emergency services in these types of situations?
Any information on Japanese Child Protective Services or services for survivors of domestic abuse?
Anything helps.
Japanese resources are prefered even though I personally don’t speak Japanese.
(I am safe and looking to support others. Please respect the privacy and sensitivity of this post.)
3 comments
You can contact TELL – Tokyo English Life Line. They can inform you of Japanese-language resources for youth and foreign residents besides.
https://telljp.com/
In the past few years, having a mental health counselor available at least once a week is a big part of some shifts in educational policy. This is usually handled by region for public, or by school for private, and there will inevitably be some gaps in availability depending on region, but in Tokyo there should be someone at the school.
There is also some effort made to have teachers be aware of ‘ichi haya ku’; the ‘189’ domestic abuse hotline. With that said, this is rarely something used by individual teachers, and typically requires going through the chain; there is a certain view that this is the nuclear option.
psychology is a medicinal department just like any other, so technically they should be able to get an appointment so long as they have their insurance information and a few thousand yen; however, this is highly unusual.
In short, mental health is something that can and should be handled using services that the school, at least in theory, are meant to provide. Especially if we’re talking about a domestic abuse situation; don’t just send them to the hospital on their own, and don’t cause a massive ruckus that will just worsen things. Make the school aware of it, and if child protective services need to be called, they are the ones who will need to do it.
I have seen services advertised at my city hall and on my city’s website, so it might be worth checking that out for local things.