The following was done by a Finnish Interviewer in conjunction with Kellokoski Hospital in Finland.  I had the privilege of making some presentations at the Kellokoski  Hospital some years ago.  Kellokoski Hospital is reaching out to other psychiatric hospitals in different parts of the world in doing whatever it can to offer assistance. 

This is one of the missions of the Anne Sippi Foundation, to train and teach professional staff and also interested individuals in more progressive methods of treatment.  We believe that individuals with serious mental illness can improve the quality of their lives if these people, i.e. the professionals and patients, that there is hope no matter how disturbed the person is. 

Uenai Mental Hospital, Japan

Japan is, economically, is one of the most successful countries in the world.  In a society where work is the measure of a person’s success, the mentally ill are easily pushed aside.  Three per thousand of the Japanese population are in mental hospitals of which 90% are private institutions.  There are 2.3 million outpatients, i.e. 2% of the population.  The community monitors the mental hospitals, while officials inspect them annually.  The National Insurance pays a major part of the costs of patient care.  Japan has peak technology, so their hospitals have high quality equipment.

One third of Japanese patients have been committed against their will.  Patients have very little contact with their families.  During the last few years Family-Patient Associations have been established in some areas, but they have not gathered strength.  The development of their functions would give voice to patients.  In 1986, Uenai Mental Hospital was constructed on Japan’s northern-most island, Hokkaido.  It is situated in the harbor town, of Tomakomai which has about 17,000 residents.  There are three mental hospitals.  Patients are free to choose which hospital they wish to go to.  Uenai is owned by Dr. Michitsuke Ogata in partnership with his colleague Hiroshi Mochizuki.  Uenai is progressive and therefore most popular.  Most of the patients are there of their own free will.  Seventy-five percent of the patients are mentally ill and the and the rest are geriatrics suffering from dementia.  Uenai Mental Hospital is well-lit and spacious.  The six bed, patient rooms are situated along long corridors.  The ablution facilities are Japanese style open bathing rooms.  Even though Japanese homes are decorated with beautiful items of nostalgic value, the patients do not have many personal items with them in the hospital.  Connected to the geriatric ward is a small Japanese garden with a bird feeder and a goldfish pond.  Uenai has 233 patients and 176 staff.  In treatment the use of medical drugs is emphasized.

Despite the shortage of staff they aspire to have discussions with the patient as often as possible.  Uenai has facilities for physio-therapy, occupational therapy and has a child care center for the children of the staff.

This decade saw the establishment of the Outpatient unit which has a lounge complete with tatami mats, a rest room, a game room and a computer class.  There is also a café where rehabilitated patients work.  The Outpatient Unit and the communal home have succeeded in their co-operative work with the region’s residents.  Residents organize a variety of courses to help patients prepare for normal daily life, and together they all work at chores to maintain their environment.  The trust earned on both sides gives hope to the patients for when they return to normal life.

Outpatients have two work centers, the bakery and the garden.  The morning begins with the assembly at which time the day’s chores are allocated.  The bakery produces health foods which are in good demand.  The patients work alternately in the bakery or customer service.  The objective is to prepare the patients for the open work market.

Japan’s social politics and social welfare are in a state of change.  Opinions about mental health welfare are divided into two camps, the progressives, who want to further develop outpatient care, and the conservatives, who want to keep all mental patients inside mental hospitals.  Dr. Ogata, of Uenai, visited Finland in 1996 to familiarize himself with the Finnish mental health work, also, to develop a reciprocal co-operation with Kelokoski Mental Hospital. International co-operation continues to support Uenai’s development in the care of outpatients.