Longitudinal Factors Associated With Increased Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Workers 32 Months After the Nuclear Disaster: The Fukushima News Project Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to predict increased alcohol and tobacco use in Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) workers 3 years after a nuclear disaster.

Methods: Surveys were conducted in two postdisaster waves (Wave 1: 2 to 3 months; Wave 2: 32 months). Adjusted risk ratio (aRR) was computed to assess the covariates of increased alcohol and tobacco use in Wave 2.

Perceived Workplace Interpersonal Support Among Workers of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants Following the 2011 Accident: The Fukushima Nuclear Energy Workers' Support (NEWS) Project Study.

Objective: The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident was the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The Daiichi workers faced multiple stressors (workplace trauma, victim experiences, and public criticism deriving from their company's post-disaster management). Literatures suggest the importance of workplace interpersonal support (WIS) in enhancing psychological health among disaster workers.

Psychological effects of disaster relief activities on Japan ground self-defense force personnel following the 2011 great east Japan earthquake.

Objective: Disaster relief workers are potentially exposed to severe stressors on the job, resulting in a variety of psychological responses. This study aims to clarify the psychological effects of disaster relief activities on Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Method: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 606 JGSDF personnel one month after completing the disaster relief mission.

Two cases of mild serotonin toxicity via 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor stimulation.

We propose the possibility of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1A receptor involvement in mild serotonin toxicity. A 64-year-old woman who experienced hallucinations was treated with perospirone (8 mg/day). She also complained of depressed mood and was prescribed paroxetine (10 mg/day).

Associations between disaster exposures, peritraumatic distress, and posttraumatic stress responses in Fukushima nuclear plant workers following the 2011 nuclear accident: the Fukushima NEWS Project study.

Background: The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The nearby Daini plant also experienced substantial damage but remained intact. Workers for the both plants experienced multiple stressors as disaster victims and workers, as well as the criticism from the public due to their company's post-disaster management.

Electroconvulsive seizures enhance autophagy signaling in rat hippocampus.

The putative antidepressive mechanisms of a series of electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) are the following: 1) downregulation of monoaminergic receptor expression in several brain regions, 2) upregulation of the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and 3) increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus. In this study, we used Western blot techniques to present another mechanism in which ECS enhances the autophagy signaling that is involved in the machinery related to synaptic and neural plasticity. Antibodies for conjugated Atg5-Atg12 (58kD) and cleaved light chain protein 3-II (LC3-II; 14 kD) were used to detect autophagy signals.

[Treatment for bipolar disorders: evidence-based approach and personal view].

Pharmacological treatment strategies for bipolar disorder (BD) remain elusive due to a dearth of evidence. This paper delineates BD treatment guidelines recently published by the Japanese Society of Mood Disorders, and also presents clinical experiences of long-term medication among 22 BD patients. With the evidence-based guidelines and real-world experiences taken into account, the author proposed an algorithm of medical treatment for bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorders.

Electroconvulsive therapy-induced Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: a case report.

Objective: Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is characterized by premature ventricular excitation due to the presence of an abnormal accessory pathway. Electrocardiography (ECG) of patients with WPW syndrome portrays a short PR interval and a wide QRS interval with a delta wave.

Methods: Herein, we report the case of a patient with schizophrenia who developed a wide QRS interval with a delta wave immediately following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Interpersonal sensitivity associated with return to work status following sick leave: a cross-sectional study among Japanese workers with major depressive disorder.

Aim: We examined the relationship between return to work (RTW) from sick leave (SL) and personality traits in workers with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Eighty-eight Japanese individuals with ≥2 weeks of SL episode and with ≥2 months of pharmacotherapy history were assessed. Measurements included Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Neuroticism, and Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM).

[Complexities of the stress experienced by employees of the Fukushima nuclear plants].

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants suffered serious damage by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The employees of the plant worked very hard to stabilize the nuclear reactor and to prevent any secondary accidents. They were in one of the most severe situations in this disaster, but they were the people who hesitated most to request help for themselves.

Relationships between anxiety severity, diagnosis of multiple anxiety disorders, and comorbid major depressive disorder.

Patients with anxiety disorder (AD) are more likely to be concurrently comorbid with other ADs or major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is unknown whether such patients show more severe anxiety symptoms than patients with single AD. We compared anxiety severity among patients with single AD, multiple ADs, and multiple ADs plus MDD.

Therapeutic effect of paroxetine on stress-induced gastric lesions in mice.

Compared to the well-known anti-ulcerogenic properties of tricyclic antidepressants, the impact of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on gastric mucosa is less clear. Human clinical trials have shown that SSRIs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) act synergistically and promote stomach ulcer formation and upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding. Acute SSRI treatment confers an additional risk for the formation of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers through increase in gastric acid secretion.