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about suicide in Japan are being of long and excessive overwork. acknowledgement and recognition
replaced by a broad-scale social After this precedent setting verdict, of depression as a problem in Japan
medicalization of suicide. there were several similar legal as well. For many years, most
outcomes that eventually legitimized Japanese assumed that depression
What do you mean by the concept of overwork suicide. was a rarity in Japan, and some
medicalization? Hence, the concept of social psychiatrists even debated whether
Dr. Kitanaka: Medicalization is a causality of suicide has been suicide of resolve was acceptable
process whereby a problem of living promoted to confront the suicide within the culture. Consequently,
is redefined as pathology of crisis.2 the recent conceptual shift toward
individual biology. Durkheims describing suicide as a product of
sociological theories challenged the What has been the role of the mental illness, albeit of social
medicalized concept of suicide by government in dealing with etiology, has introduced the
arguing that societal forces rather this crisis? potential for diagnosis and effective
than a diseased brain are the Dr. Kitanaka: The government treatment of depressive disorders.
underlying basis for suicide. intervened because of the enormity Through this process, psychiatrists
Alternatively, for many years, some of the crisis. There is an undeniable may be overcoming the long-held
prominent Japanese psychiatrists impact caused by the high suicide resistance to psychiatry in Japan.
emphasized biological causes rather rate on social, political, and
than social factors contributing to economic affairs in the country. To Do Japanese psychiatrists
suicide. In my opinion, this view has understand the context of the crisis, recognize a biopsychosocial
reversed such that Japanese there have been 3 to 5 times more model for suicide?
psychiatry is now caught up in a annual suicides in Japan than of Dr. Kitanaka: Certainly. In my
socializing form of medicalization people who die in traffic accidents. experience, psychiatrists are
by suggesting that suicide may be a So, the Ministry of Labour (now extremely careful not to reduce
consequence of the Japanese work integrated into the Ministry of suicide to a mere biological problem.
ethic. In fact, a new category has Health, Welfare, and Labor) began When patients resist medicalization
been coined called overwork to implement important policy and insist that their suicide attempt
suicide that emphasizes a workers changes in the workplace as early as was an existential act, psychiatrists
social and biological victimhood.1 1999 and the government passed a generally say that they are only
law on suicide countermeasures in trying to treat the underlying
What is overwork suicide? 2006. Essentially, the new legal depression. Many even say that as
Dr. Kitanaka: It has been well definition of suicide highlights the doctors they have no right to
documented that some middle-aged idea that individuals who kill intrude into the irresolvable aspects
workers in Japan are committing themselves from work stress are not of patients lives.
suicide in part due to work-related free-will agents of their own deaths However, the critical awareness
stress as well as the economic but rather mentally ill victims of about the social aspects of suicide
recession. The term karo jisatsu, or their social circumstances. Today, has created dilemmas. Psychiatrists
overwork suicide, refers to people workers are eligible for workers working in suicide prevention
who are driven to take their own compensation if they develop a programs are often distressed by the
lives after excessive overwork. mental illness caused by overwork. growing gap between the
Although the actual number of governments grand vision of
Japanese who commit overwork What has been the role of prevention and their daily practices
suicide is small, its importance lies Japanese psychiatry in dealing that may not always bring
in its political and symbolic impact. with this crisis? immediate results. Some experts
Increased awareness about Dr. Kitanaka: In my opinion, working in economically depressed
overwork suicide heightened in the Japanese psychiatry was used to areas of Japan lamented to me that
year 2000 when the Japanese establish this new social cause for what they really needed to stop
Supreme Court ordered a large suicide and to legitimize workers people from committing suicide was
Japanese company to compensate suffering by way of a psychiatric a few thousand dollars to help them
the family of a deceased man who diagnosis. Of course, the suicide pay off debts rather than a medical
allegedly committed suicide because crisis has facilitated the consultation or even
antidepressants. Although they What is the view of suicide in uncertainty about their place in the
certainly hope that treating other population groups in work force. Jonathan Metzl (2003)
depression is a step toward Japan? For instance, does describes a productivity narrative,
preventing suicide, psychiatrists are gender matter in the Japanese (the Prozac narrative) that urges
keenly aware of the social and view of suicide? people to take pills, to bring out
political problems associated with Dr. Kitanaka: Interestingly, the their assertiveness and
suicide as well.3 new conceptualization of suicide competitiveness, and possibly
seems more reserved for male enhance their ability even beyond
Are Japanese workers really workers and thus minimizes the their true limits in order to take
more susceptible to suicide importance and possible under- control of their lives.4 The likelihood
than other groups? reporting of depression in women or of lifetime employment has begun to
Dr. Kitanaka: They might be. It unemployed individuals. Although crumble not just in Japan but also in
has long been recognized that the Japanese male workers may be at Europe. Indeed, the young workers
model employee in Japan may also most risk, they have also been the experience of depression in Japan
be the person most susceptible to primary focus of suicide concern in seems intricately intertwined with
depression. In the 1930s, Shimoda Japan at the expense of other the question of his or her
Mitsuzo, a professor of psychiatry population groups. professional identity. He or she may
noted that many of his depressed adopt a psychiatric diagnosis of
(melancholic) patients were Many American workers work depression in order to get care and
otherwise socially adaptive people long hours and are praised for to get recognition about his or her
who were enthusiastic about work, exceeding expectations. Do you suffering, but remain uncertain
meticulous, thorough, honest, think American workers are at about the kind of cure this will
punctual, and had a strong sense of risk for overwork suicide? ultimately bring.
justice, duty, and responsibility. Dr. Kitanaka: There is certainly
Clearly, these were the kind of plenty of stress in the American Given the new
people who were praised by others workplace. But I think there may be conceptualization of suicide in
and seen as reliable and less risk for overwork suicide Japan, will there be long-term
trustworthy. Recently, it has been because of the American culture. social effects in this tradition-
suggested that Japanese society Americans do not suffer as much based country?
rewards these ideal behaviors that over-responsibility and are quicker Dr. Kitanaka: I can envision
create model employees but to express their frustration rather three important long-term social
ultimately yield a melancholic than keep it inside until they crack. changes in Japan.
premorbid personality. The rise of In addition, I think that nature of the First, Japanese psychiatrists are
industrialization and isolation from American employment system makes helping to reconceptualize the
family reinforced the importance of a difference for minimizing the risk meaning of vulnerability in mental
the workplace for these model of overwork suicide. American illness. Psychiatrists reason that
employees. These socially reinforced workers can switch jobs when they vulnerability to depression can be
individuals often define themselves are under excessive pressure, unlike rooted in socialization as much as it
by their work success that requires their Japanese counterparts who is in genetics and might only
over-responsibility, perfectionism, have often been bound to their manifest itself as pathology when
and sustained social pressure to companies via lifetime employment, vulnerable individuals are placed in
outperform. Ultimately, the armor of which can be either bliss or a curse. an unaccommodating environment
some of these model employees or at a time of social change. In
crack and they become depressed In your view, what other other words, vulnerability is no
because they cannot meet these differences have you observed longer conceptualized as static and
work expectations. Many of the between American and frozen in time but rather something
depressed people I have met seem Japanese work ethics? that is collective, relational, and
to find positive meaning in Dr. Kitanaka: Actually, Ive even historical. Following Rose,5 I
depression as a retreat from social noticed increasing similarities rather think this signals a fundamental
engagements and obligations that than differences where workers change in Japanese psychiatry from
are cornering them. everywhere face the same increasing the era of absolute geneticism to