Mental Health at Interpersonal Service Workplaces

Abstract

1. Stress problems at interpersonal service workplaces 　Since interpersonal service business requires control over one's emotion and an approach with words and attitudes tailored for other persons, this business is called emotional labor (Hochschild). Emotional fatigue and trauma, accompanied by emotional labor, are characterized with difficulty in recovery simply by taking rest and vacation. Words used for strict criticism, reproach and abuse, spoken ruthlessly by other persons, are lingering even after work and sometimes lead to a traumatic experience, which results in increasing the number of persons who have lapsed into mental insufficiency because of the inability to change the feeling. 2. Mental health problems at interpersonal service workplaces 　Burnout, depression and suicide are taken up as serious mental health problems in the interpersonal business. 　Burnout is a pathological condition which is greatly influenced by excessive emotional labor and presents exhausted emotion under the excessive suppression of natural emotions, including dissatisfaction and anger toward other persons. This condition does not spontaneously recover and needs to be taken care of in the emotional aspect. In the delivery of mental health care at workplaces, early detection with proper approaches is necessary for staffers who have lapsed into a burnout state. Besides, it is necessary to improve the workplace environment, which is liable to develop a burnout state. In Japan, burnout is not recognized at workplaces to a full degree. Burnout should be recognized and treated as a serious mental problem, which causes not only personal health problems for staffers but also reduces functions in the whole family. Additionally, it cuts down on labor productivity at the workplace. 　Depression and suicide: In Japan, the number of patients with depression has rapidly increased in recent years, and this trend is not exceptional for the interpersonal service business. In recent years, the expanding concept of depression has given rise to problems for psychiatrists. The increase in the onset of what is described as “atypical depression” makes it necessary to review conventionally typical methods for the treatment of depression and come out with new approaches. Therefore, it is essential to realize differences in the pathological conditions, and treatment or approach between endogenous depression and “atypical depression.” 　In recent years, the effectiveness of rework programs in terms of social rehabilitation has been put into focus in Japan, too.Besides, the serious problems concerned with depression involve suicide, which may possibly be prevented by the early detection of, and the approach to, depression. 3. Mental health activities at interpersonal service workplaces 　Reports came out on the current state of, and problems on, the mental health activities of staff workers at two institutions, in which the author is involved. They are the Utsunomiya Municipality (public service with 3,449 staffers) and the Kamitsuga General Hospital (medical service with 606 staffers). In addition, the importance of assessment on poor mental health has been emphasized as factors which should be taken into account for mental health activities. Besides, it is essential to the evolution of effective mental health activities that there is close coordination between in-house industrial physicians and specialists at workplaces and with staffers for industrial health care.