Interview with Occupational Health Physician
We interviewed Dr. Yasuo Beppu, an industrial physician at Shinyurigaoka General Hospital in Kawasaki City.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview.
1.What kind of work do you mainly do?
Basically, an industrial physician is a doctor with the expertise to check not only the body but also the environment so that people at work can work in good health and comfort.
A company with 50 or more employees must have a dedicated industrial physician.
There has been a tragic incident called the Dentsu Incident, and the government is taking various initiatives and measures to address the issue.
One of these measures is stress checks. If abnormalities are found in the stress check,
a mental and physical health examination is conducted under the supervision of an industrial physician.
The same is also done for overwork -overtime in excess of 80 hours per month-.
We look at the results of these diagnoses and make comments on lifestyle habits -drinking, smoking, etc... Sometimes there are three people a day at the most.
2.What do you talk about in your stress lecture?
First, we talk about the increasing number of stressed people in society and the increasing number of young people committing suicide as a result of labor. Next, we talk about how having people with mental health problems in the workplace can be a major disadvantage for companies, such as a damage to the organization's image. Finally, we talk about the Dentsu incident and the stress check system.
3.When do we feel stressed?
The most common concern is workplace relationships. The second most common is about the quality and quantity of work.
Other issues that stress people out are about the future of the company and about promotions and salary increases.
Other stressful situations that can lead to mental illness are when one's workplace changes due to employment or promotion, when one's rhythm of life changes due to illness or injury,
or when one is raising a child after giving birth. Recently, some people also experience stress from turban syndrome and pet loss syndrome.
When I was at the cancer center, I had a major surgery to remove the pancreas, and even though the person was completely unconscious, there was a lot of stress on the body and it could cause a hole in the stomach.
Like this, stress can be felt by the body as well as perceived by the head, and sometimes we don't even realize it.
4.What is important to you when providing counseling and other services?
Not only in counseling, but also in general outpatient services, it is very important to create an environment where it is easy to talk. You have to create an atmosphere where patients can talk. So, if you include social topics in the conversation, they will talk about various topics that are also important for the medical examination.
5.What is important to avoid stress?
Rest every 90 minutes, use all five senses on holidays, close your eyes and breathe slowly to reduce stress levels, called the 3 R's: Rest, Recreation and Relaxation.
Other factors that are believed to be important include increasing stress tolerance; people in their 20s and 30s are prone to stress because
they have not developed stress tolerance. Common characteristics of people who easily develop stress tolerance include: having someone to say "help" to when in trouble,
having hobbies away from work, and trying not to make haters.
After the interview...
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your valuable stories from the field.
You provided easy-to-understand explanations and materials about work-related stress, and you included your actual experiences,
which made it easier for us to get a more detailed picture of the situation.
Even though we may not recognize stress in our minds, our bodies may feel it without realizing it, and it can make us physically ill,
so we think it is important to support those around us. We also learned that it is important to recognize what we are stressed about and to always keep the 3 R's in mind.
We felt that industrial physicians, who help create a good work environment and give accurate advice on personal life,
must be very important not only to their patients but also to everyone who works in the workplace.
The photo was given to us directly by the doctor.
