FUKUSHIMA – A health survey of Fukushima Prefecture residents has found that of the nearly 90,000 who responded, more than 5 percent are in immediate need of psychological therapy, prefectural authorities said.
The prefecture reported the findings at a meeting of experts Thursday, revealing that 4,602, or 5.2 percent, of the 88,613 residents who replied to the mental stress survey by the end of March urgently require mental health counseling.
The survey targeted about 210,000 residents in emergency zones created due to the nuclear crisis. Residents were handed interview sheets with multiple questions, asking for example whether they were having trouble falling asleep or experiencing difficulty in concentrating.
Of those in need of immediate care, 1,311 were junior high school students or younger and the other 3,291 were of high school age or above, according to the prefecture.
A separate poll of pregnant women in the prefecture, meanwhile, showed that of the 8,886 who responded, some 1,298, or 14.6 percent, displayed symptoms of depression or extreme anxiety.