In the last few decades, clinical depression in Japan has emerged from its longstanding obscurity shrouded in shame and guilt to becoming far more openly recognized as a national disease.
A 2010 report by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry put the number of patients seeking professional care for depression at 704,000 — a more than 300 percent increase from the 207,000 documented in 1996. Nonetheless, the actual number of depression sufferers is believed to be far higher.
Reflecting the growing public awareness of the condition, most major bookstores in Japan now devote considerable shelf space to related titles written by people with a wide variety of expertise and experiences — from doctors, nutritionists, sufferers and former patients to their families.