It's been 17 days and a month since the clinic that entered the building in Kita-ku, Osaka was set on fire, killing 25 people.
When NHK interviewed 19 patients who attended the clinic about their living conditions after the incident, it was found that their symptoms had recurred due to shock and that they suffered from insomnia.
先月17日、大阪 北区のビルの4階にある心療内科のクリニックが放火された事件では、少なくとも800人いた患者が治療を受けられなくなり、転院などの対応を余儀なくされました。
事件から1か月となるのを前に、NHKはクリニックに通っていた患者のうち、連絡が取れた19人に事件後の生活の状況などについて取材しました。
その結果、事件のショックや、よりどころを失った不安から、このうち少なくとも12人は症状が再発したり、不眠に悩まされたりといった影響が出ていることが分かりました。
うつ病などで6年前から通院していたという30代の男性は、事件のあと、転院先で再びうつ病の症状が出ていると診断され、1週間にわたって仕事を休まざるをえなくなったといいます。
今も不眠に悩まされているほか、ビルに入ることが怖くなるなど深刻な影響が続いているということです。
また、希望する転院先が見つからないとか、見つかっても新しい医師と相性が合うかどうか分からず、不安を抱えているという人が8人いました。
さらに、事件をきっかけに、精神科や心療内科に通う人に対する偏見が強まったのではないかという不安の声も多く聞かれました。
このうち30代の自営業の男性は、外見では分からない障害などがあり、援助や配慮が必要であることを周囲に知らせる「ヘルプマーク」と呼ばれるものを身に着けていましたが、事件のあとは偏見を恐れて着けられなくなったということです。
こうした状況について「日本うつ病リワーク協会」の理事長で精神科医の五十嵐良雄さんは「影響の度合いなどは患者によってさまざまだが、症状が長期化したり、時間がたってから新たな症状が出たりすることもある。医療機関だけでなく、行政も積極的に関わって支援していくことが必要だ」と指摘しています。
54-year-old female "I'm worried about losing my mental support and continuing my work"
A 54-year-old woman who had been attending a clinic for more than two years became blank when she learned that the director had died after the incident, and was shocked and unable to go to work the next day.
Five days after the incident, I was examined at the transfer destination to get a prescription for the medicine, but as soon as the director was mentioned, I was so sad that I couldn't stop crying in front of the doctor. Says.
After that, when I talked about the incident, I felt depressed, and suddenly I became struck by strong anxiety mainly during the daytime when I was working, so I took medicine to suppress the symptoms prescribed at the transfer destination. It means that things have increased.
The woman has visited the building where the clinic is located many times to donate flowers, but she was afraid to enter a similar multi-tenant building and her body began to tremble.
In addition, as the days go by, the images of the fire suddenly come to my mind, and each time I feel like I'm being beaten in the epigastrium.
The woman said, "I was suffering from headaches because I lost my mental support, and I was wondering if I could live as it is. The frequency of taking medicine increases, and it decreases in a blink of an eye. I've enjoyed my work so far, but I'm worried if I can continue. "
Male in his 30s "The director is very anxious about the safety net itself."
A man in his thirties, who had been attending an on-site clinic for six years due to depression, participated in a "rework program" to help people who are on leave while working at a logistics company to return to work. I was working to keep it going for a long time.
After that, at the director's suggestion that it would be better to have a workplace where people could get a better understanding of the surroundings, he was supposed to take the civil service examination in the frame of employment of persons with disabilities this fall.
The incident happened when I started preparing for it, and I was planning to discuss future policies with the director on that day as well.
A man who was thinking of taking the exam while continuing to participate in the rework program became unsure of what to do in the future, and was shocked by the incident and began to suffer from insomnia.
After the incident, I was transferred to another nearby clinic to prescribe a drug, but I was diagnosed with depression again and had to take a break from work for over a week. is.
Even now, one month after the incident, he said that he could not sleep at night and was afraid to enter the building, and the serious effects continued.
The man said, "The director was a safety net for me. Also, my colleagues who participated in the rework program were very supportive, so I have a lot of anxiety about the future."
Male in his 50s "I'm worried if I can build a relationship with the transferee"
Some of the patients who attended the on-site clinic have difficulty receiving treatment at the transfer destination, which raises anxiety.
A man in his 50s, who had been attending a clinic for four years, is said to have been suffering from severe depression after the incident, unable to sleep at night, and increasing the amount of medicine he took.
Since the medical institutions that can prescribe the medicines I am taking are limited, the man consulted with social workers to find a transfer destination, but he could not find it easily.
For this reason, as a result of searching on the Internet etc. myself, at the end of last year, I found a clinic where I could prescribe the medicine I was taking near my workplace.
However, because he had already accepted many other patients from the clinic on site, he could not make an appointment and was finally able to see him on the 14th.
The man said, "I was very worried that the medicine would run out by the time I resumed treatment. I managed to make it, but I am worried that I will be able to establish a good relationship with the transferee in the future." I did.
Doctor "I want to be on the side of the patient and continue treatment"
A doctor at a clinic in Osaka City, which accepts patients who attended the on-site clinic, responded to NHK's interview.
Most patients are reluctant to talk about the incident, and doctors say they are in shock now and want to treat it with caution, saying that their symptoms may worsen in the future.
The Psychosomatic Medicine Clinic in Chuo-ku, Osaka accepted 20 patients after the incident.
We have received inquiries from many patients because we are implementing a "rework program" in the same way as in the on-site clinic, and we also provide medical care at night.
At this clinic, the treatment policy is set after hearing from the patients what kind of treatment and drug prescription they have received in the past, but most patients do not try to talk about this case, and it is ostensibly big. It is said that it does not appear to be affected.
However, Dr. Shigeru Nishii, the director of the hospital, is now in a state of shock, and when he remembers the incident for some reason, his symptoms such as depression worsen, and PTSD. = There is a risk of developing stress disorders after trauma.
For this reason, I do not force myself to hear about the incident, but I want to treat it carefully.
Dr. Nishii said, "I think this incident, including other patients, was a big shock. Anyway, I want to be on the side of the patients and continue treatment."
Japan Association of Rework for Depression "Administration also provides a wide range of support"
Yoshio Igarashi, a psychiatrist and chairman of the Japan Association of Rework for Depression, points out that the worsening of symptoms due to the effects of the incident may be prolonged in the future.
In particular, the "rework program" conducted by the on-site clinic to support the return to work for those who are on leave is a group effort, so the patients who participated will have a greater impact from the feeling of loss due to the loss of their peers. It means that there is a risk of getting out.
Mr. Igarashi said, "The degree of influence varies depending on the patient, but over time, new symptoms may appear and become stronger and stronger. Not only medical institutions but also the government are actively involved and accumulated in the clinic. It is necessary to provide a wide range of support to patients, such as making it possible to use the medical information that was available in a meaningful way. "
Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture is a telephone counter dedicated to accepting consultations
In response to this incident, Osaka Prefecture has set up a dedicated telephone service center for people who attended the clinic to receive consultations.
According to the prefecture, at least 800 patients attended the clinic, so caseworkers and others can respond to worries and consultations at the telephone counter, introduce medical institutions and procedures that can receive treatment, and provide mental care. I'm hitting.
So far, we have received more than 350 consultations.
At the counter, we are accepting a wide range of consultations from people who are worried about this incident.
The phone number is 06-6697-0877 and reception hours are from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays.
In addition, Osaka City also has a dedicated telephone counter at the same time on weekdays, and the telephone number is 06-6922-3474.