Perspectives
Whenever I speak at lectures, I remind my audience not to hesitate to seek professional assistance when they have problems.
At my consultation room, I sometimes see people who tried to endure suffering for a lengthy period of time before they finally decided to receive counseling. In one case, it took nearly two years for a patient with insomnia to seek professional help.
"I felt my problem was too small and I should not go to hospital. I was trying to face up to the situation on my own," one patient said.
Actually though, you don't have to push yourself too hard. Feel free to turn to a specialist for advice as soon as you notice something is wrong with you.
The same holds true for other problems, but a lot of people tend to avoid seeking professional help until the very last minute.
I often hear various institutions, such as a law firm specializing in debt problems and a consumer affairs center fighting against scams, say, "They should have come to talk to us much earlier."
It seems that a lot of people are feeling hesitant about sharing their problems with experts and believe that they must solve their problems on their own.
"Some clients said they were worried that we would blame them for their troubles. We would never do that," said a worker at a nonprofit organization that supports individuals with financial difficulties.
Experts and institutions specializing in fields such as welfare, medicine, law, etc. are there to help you when your problems got out of control. So, I have always asked my patients to stop blaming themselves and ask professionals for help.
I wonder if the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami are reaching out for help. It's been nearly one month since the disaster, and I wonder if residents in the region have recovered a little peace of mind and begun to seek support from specialized organizations as they struggle to restore their lives. I'm afraid those in areas without essential utilities have no emotional leeway to consult with experts about their future.
Recently, an increasing number of professional workers, who have realized that merely waiting for clients to visit their office is not helping at all, are proactively meeting with people in need of help as part of their outreach efforts.
The demand for "delivery services" by medical and legal experts is expected to increase in areas affected by the disaster. I would also like to visit evacuation shelters when I don't have appointments with regular patients.
At the same time, I hope more residents in areas hit by the disaster will tell us what kind of assistance they are looking for. It goes without saying that those who were not affected by the earthquake should also be more open to contact professional advisors. Now is the time to stop hesitating. (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) April 10, 2011
香山リカのココロの万華鏡：無理にがんばらない ／東京
ときどき講演に出かけることがある。そこでいつも強調するのが、「遠慮なく専門家を頼ってください」ということだ。
診察室でもときどき、「不眠になったのは２年前」などと長期間、受診しないでがまんしてきた人に出会う。その人たちは、「これくらいで病院に来てはいけない、自分でなんとかしなくちゃ、と思っていました」と語る。
本当は、そんなにがんばる必要はない。「あれ、いつもと違うな」と思った時点で、遠慮なく専門医のところを訪れてよいのだ。
「ギリギリまでがまんする」というのは、精神科の診察室だけで見られることではない。借金の相談を得意とする弁護士事務所、悪徳商法の相談を受ける消費者センターなど、どの専門機関でも「もっと早く相談に来てくれればいいのに」という声を聞く。相談者は、「私の問題だから、私がなんとかしなきゃ」と思って遠慮しているようだ。「“自分のせいでしょう”と怒られるんじゃないか、と怖がっていた人もいます。そんなはずはないのに……」。生活苦の相談に応じるＮＰＯ法人で、こんな声を聞いたこともある。
しかし、福祉、医療、法律などの専門家や専門機関は、一般の人が自分の力でどうにもできない問題を片づけるためにいるのだ。がまんしたり「私が悪いんだ」と思い込んだりしないで、「なんとかしてくださいよ」と頼ってほしい。私はそう、訴えてきた。
今回の災害の被災者たちは、どうなのだろう。ひと月近くがたち、少し落ち着いてきた人たちは、今後の生活の再建に向けていろいろな専門機関を利用し始めているのだろうか。ただ、いまだにライフラインも復旧しないところでは、とても専門家に相談する余裕もないかもしれない。
昨今、専門家たちは「オフィスに座っているだけではダメ」と気づき、“御用聞き”のように積極的に人々のあいだに出て行くようになりつつある。これを「アウトリーチ」と呼んでいる。これから必要になるのは、専門家による被災地での“出前診療所”や“出前法律事務所”などだろう。
私も、日常の診療の合間に、気軽に“出前”に行きたいと思っている。被災地のみなさんも、ぜひ「こんな出前が必要です」と遠慮せずに声をあげてほしい、と思う。
もちろん、被災地以外の人たちも、これからも「自分でなんとかしなきゃ」などと遠慮せずに、気軽に専門家を頼ってほしい。遠慮は無用。古くからある言葉だが、今こそそう言いたい。
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