This book focuses on mental health issues arising in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Three years after the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunamis, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, roughly 130,000 individuals continue to face enormous burdens as a result of mandatory evacuation. Many evacuees still live in temporary housing, and returning home remains a distant dream as they wait for the decontamination of the danger zone to be completed. However, the plant recovery process is still evolving, and the complete cleanup will take decades. Beyond all of these hardships, many evacuees are also mourning the loss of their loved ones. The compound disaster with its many uncertainties poses and will continue to pose serious emotional and social challenges. People affected by the nuclear disaster have been facing serious psychological challenges from ongoing fear of radiation exposure. Furthermore, there is continuing debate between various stakeholders on the options for disaster responses. This situation in turn produces adverse public responses, such as discrimination and stigmatization of the evacuees and scapegoating of the authorities and nuclear plant workers. Mental Health and Social Issues Following a Nuclear Accident addresses these issues and their impacts, pursuing both evidence-based and narrative-based approaches. It also contrasts the Fukushima findings with those of other nuclear disasters, namely, Three Mile Island and Cher
nobyl.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Gregory Clancey
Preface
Jun Shigemura, Rethy Kieth Chhem
Part I: The Social Dimensions of a Compound Disaster
Chapter 1 Godzilla mon amour: The Origins and Legacy of Nuclear Fear in Japan
Ryan J Crowder, Rethy Kieth Chhem, Azura Z Aziz
Chapter 2 Unforeseeable Accidents from the Point of View of the Legal System
Mitsuko Fujino
Chapter 3 Report on Fukushima Counseling Support Professional Team: Interdisciplinary Team Approach for Psychosocial Care of Evacuees
Akiko Yagi
Chapter 4 Societal and Ethical Aspects of Radiation Risk Perception
Deborah Helen Oughton
Chapter 5 Thinking Across Disaster
Kim Fortun, Alli Morgan
Part II: Mental Health Issues: Challenges for Resilience and Recovery from Fukushima C
ompound Disaster<
Chapter 6
Emotional Consequences of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl: Lessons Learned for Fukushima
Evelyn J Bromet
Chapter 7 3/11 and 9/11: A Mu
lti-faceted Investigation of a Survivor Exchange Program
Phoebe Prioleau, Tony Pham, David Anderson, Robert Yanagisawa, Kanako Taku, Meriam Lobel, Craig Katz
Chapter 8 Psychosocial Responses to Disaster and Exposures: Distress Reactions, Health Risk Behav
ior, and Mental Disorders
Joshua C. Morganstein, James C. West, Lester A. Huff, Brian W. Flynn, Carol S. Fullerton, David M. Benedek, Robert J. Ursano
Chapter 9 Psychosocial Challenges of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant Workers
Jun Shigemura, Takeshi Tanigawa, Azura Z Aziz, Rethy Kieth Chhem, Soichiro Nomura, Aihide Yoshino
“The book aims to improve the global understanding of the impact of nuclear disaster across various dimensions. … The audience includes those involved in government, policy making, public health, aid organizations, as well as others who might be affected by or involved in dealing with the consequences of a major disaster. … This book explores the complex consequences of a nuclear disaster and the multiple disciplines and expertise required to address such difficult situations.” (Michael Easton, Doody’s Book Reviews, July, 2016)
Editors:
Jun Shigemura
Department of Psychiatry
National Defense Medical College
Saitama, Japan
Rethy Kieth Chhem
Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
This book focuses on mental health issues arising in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Three years after the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunamis, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, roughly 130,000 individuals continue to face enormous burdens as a result of mandatory evacuation. Many evacuees still live in temporary housing, and returning home remains a distant dream as they wait for the decontamination of the danger zone to be completed. However, the plant recovery process is still evolving, and the complete cleanup will take decades. Beyond all of these hardships, many evacuees are also mourning the loss of their loved ones. The compound disaster with its many uncertainties poses and will continue to pose serious emotional and social challenges. People affected by the nuclear disaster have been facing serious psychological challenges from ongoing fear of radiation exposure. Furthermore, there is continuing debate between various stakeholders on the options for disaster responses. This situation in turn produces adverse public responses, such as discrimination and stigmatization of the evacuees and scapegoating of the authorities and nuclear plant workers. Mental Health and Social Issues Following a Nuclear Accident addresses these issues and their impacts, pursuing both evidence-based and narrative-based approaches. It also contrasts the Fukushima findings with those of other nuclear disasters, namely, Three Mile Island and Cher
nobyl.
Highlights mental health issues following the Fukushima nuclear disaster
Addresses psychosocial issues that produce negative impacts such as discrimination, stigmatization, and scapegoating
Contrasts the Fukushima findings with those of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl
