Mental health needs in the acute and subacute phases of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake: Emergency Medical Information System data analysis in Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team activities

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Abstract

Aim

As it is difficult to examine the mental health of disaster victims immediately after a disaster through the rigorous procedures required for academic papers, the overall mental state of victims immediately after a disaster is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the actual mental health needs of victims during the transition from the acute and subacute phases to the chronic phase of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake (NPE).

Methods

We obtained Emergency Medical Information System (EMIS) data for a period of ∼1 month during Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team support from outside the prefecture in Suzu City and Noto Town. We then extracted the following variables of the supportees from the EMIS data: age, consultation stage, content of response, psychiatric treatment history, and diagnostic classification. We compared the variables between the 2 weeks immediately after the disaster (Phase 1) and the following 2 weeks (Phase 2).

Results

New consultations started mostly in Phase 1 and dropped in Phase 2. Consultations were initially dominated by victims with existing psychiatric disorders, but those on dementia‐related problems and direct stress reactions to the disaster increased over time.

Conclusion

Information accumulated in the EMIS was useful for providing an overview of the mental state of communities affected by the 2024 NPE. The extracted findings may be useful for planning mental health measures for affected communities and preparing for future disasters, which may improve community resilience in affected areas.

Abstract

We investigated the actual mental health needs of victims during the transition from the acute and subacute phases to the chronic phase of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake by using Emergency Medical Information System data for a period of ∼1 month during Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team support. We compared the variables between the 2 weeks immediately after the disaster (Phase 1) and the following 2 weeks (Phase 2) and found that consultations were initially dominated by victims with existing psychiatric disorders, but those on dementia‐related problems and direct stress reactions to the disaster increased over time. These findings may be useful for planning mental health measures for affected communities and preparing for future disasters, which may improve community resilience in affected areas.

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Most cited references 39

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First Responders: Mental Health Consequences of Natural and Human-Made Disasters for Public Health and Public Safety Workers

David Benedek, Carol Fullerton, Robert Ursano (2007)

First responders, including military health care workers, public health service workers, and state, local, and volunteer first responders serve an important role in protecting our nation's citizenry in the aftermath of disaster. Protecting our nation's health is a vital part of preserving national security and the continuity of critical national functions. However, public health and public safety workers experience a broad range of health and mental health consequences as a result of work-related exposures to natural or man-made disasters. This chapter reviews recent epidemiologic studies that broaden our understanding of the range of health and mental health consequences for first responders. Evidence-based psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions for posttraumatic distress reactions and psychiatric disorders are outlined. Finally, the application of public health intervention models for the assessment and management of distress responses and mental disorders in first-responder communities is discussed.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and generalised anxiety disorder in adolescents after a natural disaster: a study of comorbidity

Nilamadhab Kar, Binaya Bastia (2006)

Background Information on mental health sequel in adolescents following natural disasters from developing countries is scant. Method Around one year after a super-cyclone, proportion of adolescents exhibiting post-traumatic psychiatric symptoms, prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and generalized anxiety disorder, comorbidity and impairment of performance in school were studied in Orissa, India. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for children and adolescents was used for evaluation and diagnosis. The criteria for diagnoses were based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – IV. Results Post-disaster psychiatric presentation in adolescents was a conglomeration of PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms. The prevalences of PTSD, major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder were 26.9%, 17.6% and 12.0% respectively. Proportion of adolescents with any diagnosis was 37.9%. Comorbidity was found in 39.0% of adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis. Adolescents from middle socioeconomic status were more affected. There were gender differences in the presentation of the symptoms rather than on the prevalence of diagnoses. Prolonged periods of helplessness and lack of adequate post-disaster psychological support were perceived as probable influencing factors, as well as the severity of the disaster. Conclusion The findings of the study highlight the continuing need for identification and intervention for post-disaster psychiatric morbidities in adolescent victims in developing countries.

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Severe Psychological Distress of Evacuees in Evacuation Zone Caused by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

Yasuto Kunii, Yuriko Suzuki, Tetsuya Shiga … (2016)

Background Following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has continued to affect the mental health status of residents in the evacuation zone. To examine the mental health status of evacuee after the nuclear accident, we conducted the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey as part of the ongoing Fukushima Health Management Survey. Methods We measured mental health status using the Kessler 6-item psychological distress scale (K6) in a total of 73,569 (response rate: 40.7%) evacuees aged 15 and over who lived in the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture. We then dichotomized responders using a 12/13 cutoff on the K6, and compared the proportion of K6 scores ≥13 and ≤12 in each risk factor including demographic information, socioeconomic variables, and disaster-related variables. We also performed bivariate analyses between mental health status and possible risk factors using the chi-square test. Furthermore, we performed multivariate regression analysis using modified Poisson regression models. Results The median K6 score was 5 (interquartile range: 1–10). The number of psychological distress was 8,717 (14.6%). We found that significant differences in the prevalence of psychological distress by almost all survey items, including disaster-related risk factors, most of which were also associated with increased Prevalence ratios (PRs). Additionally, we found that psychological distress in each evacuation zone was significantly positively associated with the radiation levels in their environment (r = 0.768, p = 0.002). Conclusion The earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident likely caused severe psychological distress among residents in the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture. The close association between psychological distress and the radiation levels shows that the nuclear accident seriously influenced the mental health of the residents, which might be exacerbated by increased risk perception. To provide prompt and appropriate support, continued psychosocial intervention for evacuees is strongly recommended.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Yasuto Kunii:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1569-7819

yasuto.kunii.d8@tohoku.ac.jp

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): PCN Rep

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): PCN Rep

Journal ID (doi): 10.1002/(ISSN)2769-2558

Journal ID (publisher-id): PCN5

Title: PCN Reports: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc. (Hoboken )

ISSN (Electronic): 2769-2558

Publication date (Electronic): 17 March 2025

Publication date Collection: March 2025

Volume: 4

Issue: 1 ( doiID: 10.1002/pcn5.v4.1 )

Electronic Location Identifier: e70085

Affiliations

[ ¹ ] Department of Disaster Psychiatry, International Research Institute of Disaster Science Tohoku University Miyagi Japan

[ ² ] Department of Psychiatry Tohoku University Hospital Miyagi Japan

[ ³ ] Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Teams (DPATs) Secretariat, Commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Tokyo Japan

[ ⁴ ] Psychiatory Department Fujita Health University Hospital Aichi Japan

[ ⁵ ] Shinkeikahamamatsu Hospital Shizuoka Japan

[ ⁶ ] Department of Psychiatry Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University Miyagi Japan

Author notes

[*] [* ] Correspondence Yasuto Kunii, MD, PhD, Department of Disaster Psychiatry, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, 2‐1 Seiryo‐machi, Aoba‐ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980‐8573, Japan.

Email: yasuto.kunii.d8@ 123456tohoku.ac.jp

Author information

Yasuto Kunii http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1569-7819

Mizuki Hino http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3700-0322

Hiroaki Tomita http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2628-880X

Article

Publisher ID: PCN570085

DOI: 10.1002/pcn5.70085

PMC ID: 11913620

PubMed ID: 40104128

SO-VID: 6bb549ab-4522-4a85-9706-ac6a93a10148

License:

This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

History

Date revision received : 20 February 2025

Date received : 19 September 2024

Date accepted : 28 February 2025

Page count

Figures: 2, Tables: 3, Pages: 10, Words: 6535

Funding

Funded by: Co‐Creation Center for Disaster Resilience at Tohoku University

Custom metadata

source-schema-version-number 2.0

cover-date March 2025

details-of-publishers-convertor Converter:WILEY_ML3GV2_TO_JATSPMC version:6.5.4 mode:remove_FC converted:17.03.2025

Keywords: disaster psychiatric assistance team,earthquake,emergency medical information system,mental health,resilience

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Keywords: disaster psychiatric assistance team, earthquake, emergency medical information system, mental health, resilience

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Mental health needs in the acute and subacute phases of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake: Emergency Medical Information System data analysis in Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team activities

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Most cited references 39

First Responders: Mental Health Consequences of Natural and Human-Made Disasters for Public Health and Public Safety Workers

Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and generalised anxiety disorder in adolescents after a natural disaster: a study of comorbidity

Severe Psychological Distress of Evacuees in Evacuation Zone Caused by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

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