2008 Volume 48 Issue 4 Pages 261-267
The Department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine of our hospital has been conducting the following activities in response to the needs of our society. 1. Crisis Intervention to Prevent Suicides : The 3rd emergency medical care center attached to the hospital deals with seriously injured patients who have attempted suicide. We endeavor to prevent the recurrence of such attempts by introducing the patients and family members to a psychiatrist at the earliest possible stage. 2. Grief Care Education : We are engaged in the education and furthering of the concept of "grief care," with lectures on this concept having been made available not only to medical professionals, but also to medical service workers, health nurses, welfare service workers and all the other local related support groups personnel as well as the general public. 3. Disaster Medicine Intervention in the Acute Phase : The Amagasaki JR Derailment Accident made it painfully clear that the perspectives of victims' families should be taken into full consideration when providing care, even at the phase immediately after disasters. We and emergency physicians and forensic medical experts have therefore come together to organize study sessions around the theme of grief care in times of disaster. Individuals who are engaged in psychosomatic medicine should be mindful of the need to respond to diverse needs of society when working in their own areas of expertise and related fields.
