A case report regarding current psychiatric prevention strategies in Japan
A case report: A nineteen year old female student reported hyper-sensitivity to sensation, especially visual simulation, experienced depersonalization and so on. These experiences had continued for 3-4 months. A cousin had committed suicide and an aunt suffered from depression. Her total BPRS score was 6 and the GAF scale code was 95. She was doing well. She did not have support from family members because she lived alone in an apartment; her attitude towards psychiatric intervention was neither positive nor negative - she accepted our help. She was classified as Stage I-H. The psychiatrists provided counseling, but no medication. Counseling was discontinued for 7 weeks due to summer vacation. In her first interview after summer vacation, she still had mild hypersensitivity and depersonalization; furthermore, mild sleep disturbance had developed. Occasionally she derived pleasure from killing insects. Her BPRS score went up to 10. She returned to her home and lived with her family. Counseling was continued. At age 21, in her third academic year, she experienced occasional auditory hallucinations of an unidentified man, and believed her fingers looked like blue insects. In December 1997, before her examinations for graduation and employment, she experienced severe anxiety and agitation. Low dose anti-psychotics and psychotherapy were effective. She graduated from the University and got a job in the field of TV broadcasting. She is now in Stage II-H.
Until the present, none of our subjets have been recognized as having a psychotic episode of schizophrenia. But it is difficult to prove the preventive efficacy of our project because of the lack of epidemiological data available on campus. We need to carry out an epidemiological survey. Various studies regarding early intervention and prevention, especially in schizophrenia, which are being carried out in Japan will be presented.
C. Ogura, H. Ohta, K. Hiramatsu, K. Yamamoto
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medecine
University of the Ryukyus
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