Perspectives

Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Don't hesitate to consult a specialist

Rika Kayama

Although depression can sometimes come without any apparent cause or stress, there is often something contributing to the problem. Unrequited love, divorce, illness, accidents, layoffs, quarrels, heavy debt -- life sends all kinds of emotional challenges rolling our way.

Among them, however, many can be solved surprisingly quickly and easily by using the services of a specialist. For people saddled with multiple debts by loan sharks there are lawyers or other legal experts. For people tricked into buying expensive products by dishonest merchandisers, there is the National Consumer Affairs Center. For victims of domestic abuse there are women's centers. For all kinds of problems, there are specialists waiting to help.

When I judge that my patients need more help than a psychiatrist can provide, I actively introduce them to government services, support centers, and non-profit organizations that can help. I have written previously how, when debt, divorce problems, issues with neighbors, and other problems that step into the domain of the law have troubled my patients, they have later told me how they were helped when I introduced them to the Japan Legal Support Center.

However, when I introduce my patients to specialists, there is a wall that we almost always run into: My patients think, "It's me who is at fault. If I go to a specialist, won't they criticize and scold me?" and they are struck with anxiety and fear. In particular, more stoic people are apt to say things like, "I share some blame for making my husband into a violent person," or, "It's my own fault that I racked up debt after I lost my job," even though no one else criticizes them as such. "There's no way I could go consult someone," they say, and shrink away.

People who specialize in helping others are not there to scold or blame. They are there to guide their clients in solving whatever problems are right in front of them, to help them build a better future. The past is the past. A specialist would not ask about or criticize, for example, how a client accumulated debt as long as it was not some extraordinary amount.

We are lucky that today, there exist all kinds of help centers and non-profit organizations, covering an amazing variety of issues. It's my hope that people will not feel embarrassed to consult with specialists because they feel the problems plaguing them are "their own fault." And of course, this includes seeing psychiatrists. I don't want people to feel "It's my own emotional problem, and I have to solve it myself," but rather to come forward and freely say, "I'm in trouble. Please do something." (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)

Click here for the original Japanese story