More than 14,000 disaster survivors had mental care

Mental care has been provided by 54 teams consisting of psychiatrists, social workers and nurses dispatched by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to disaster-ravaged Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

They have visited homes and evacuation shelters to offer advice to those suffering physical or mental disorders.

In Miyagi Prefecture, where some coastal communities suffered catastrophic damage, 8,318 survivors had been helped by mental health experts as of May 27, according to local authorities. The data excludes residents of Sendai, the prefectural capital.

Among them, 1,891 suffered sleep disorders, while 954 reported anxiety and fear. Many of the survivors also reported a lack of appetite.

In Sendai alone, 2,310 people sought medical advice between March 14 and June 11, while 3,483 survivors underwent checkups between March 18 and April 30 in Iwate Prefecture.

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