Conflicting Interpretations of “Depression” in Japanese Occupational Health: Meaning Imputation of the Deviance and Causal Attribution by Physicians

Abstract

“Depression” in Japanese occupational health is a contested issue and open to various interpretations. The purpose of this study was to reveal logical structures of conflicting interpretative frameworks and their use by physicians. Interview data with occupational physicians and attending physicians were analyzed to investigate conflicting interpretations of “depression” in Japanese occupational health concerning the meaning imputation of the deviance (managerial or medical) and causal attribution (internal or external). The results demonstrate various interpretive conflicts, complementariness, and ambivalence that cannot be explained by the physicians’ (non-)affiliation to a company. This study shows the necessity for further research that bridges the gap between collective/institutional and individual/practice-level contestation surrounding an illness category.