A Pilot Study of Barriers to Psychiatric Treatment among Japanese Healthcare Workers

Background: The medical service industry has the highest number of industry-classified workers’ compensation claims related to mental disorders. They are a group of people who particularly need mental health care.Aims: To investigate the barriers to seeking psychiatric treatment among healthcare workers. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted for healthcare workers. We assessed the relationship between barriers to psychiatric treatment, stress perception, coping methods, and demographic variables.Results: There were 91 respondents in the final analysis (participants’ mean age was 34.73±11.41). Factor analysis identified three factors that affect resistance to seeking treatment (?=0.83): 1) anxiety toward psychiatric medicine, 2) resistance to psychiatric visits, and 3) lack of belief in the effectiveness of psychiatric treatment. Correlation analysis indicated that resistance to psychiatric treatment increased with age (r=0.21, p<0.05). In addition, women scored significantly higher than men concerning resistance toward psychiatric visits, and doctors scored lower than those in other occupations on this measure. Conclusion: These results indicated that a main component of resistance was related to resistance toward the word “psychiatric”. It may be useful to avoid using the word “psychiatric” with individuals belonging to groups with high resistance to psychiatric treatment when suggesting that they consult a psychiatrist

The Takeda Three Colors Combination Test: A Screening Test for Detection of Very Mild Alzheimer’s Disease

Background. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is prevalent worldwide. It is expected that AD, for which aging is a risk factor, will increase in the future. Because early detection of AD has become increasingly important, promoting demand for screening tests with adequate sensitivity. In this study, we examined the usefulness of the Takeda Three Colors Combination Test (TTCC) for screening of the very mild AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods. 154 senior persons participated in the research: 55 with very mild AD, 45 with aMCI, and 54 control group. The TTCC, which was a colored cards configuration memory task, was examined for sensitivity and specificity. Results. The sensitivity of the TTCC was 76% and 47% for the very mild AD and aMCI groups, and the specificity was 83%. Conducting TTCC (including instruction and evaluation) was accomplished within 2 minutes for all subjects. Conclusion. The TTCC is useful screening test for early detection of AD. Furthermore, administration time is short and requires no special training or skills. Thus, we believe the TTCC shows great potential for use as an AD screening test by a general practitioner in communities worldwide