Health and Policy Global Institute (HGPI) Mental Health Policy Project held its first and second expert meetings as part of the Project to Assess State of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Use in Japan and Examine Systems for Contributing to the Future Dissemination of CBT and CBT-based Practices.

 

■Overview
Efforts for mental health policy have been underway at Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) through its Mental Health Policy Project which began in FY2019. This project has gathered various parties from the field of mental health including people affected by mental disorders, opinion leaders, and related organizations from industry, government, academia, and civil society from Japan and overseas to participate in expert meetings. At those meetings, we are working to identify issues and discussion points within the current circumstances surrounding mental health policy and to examine approaches to solving those issues.

As a part of this project, HGPI has been examining the situation surrounding the use of CBT in Japan, forms of support based on CBT in Japan, and systems for contributing to the dissemination of CBT and CBT-based practices in the future. The project is being conducted as part of the FY2020 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Project for the Promotion of Comprehensive Welfare for Persons with Disabilities.

CBT is a form of psychotherapy that aims to improve mood by modifying ways of thinking and behavior patterns to ones that are healthier or that lead to problem-solving. CBT is based on a cognitive-behavioral model in which mood and behavior are influenced by people’s perception (or cognition). It has been shown to be effective at treating and preventing the recurrence of various mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders, and has been recommended as a standard form of treatment in guidelines from both Japan and other countries.

This project will analyze and verify the effects of past CBT training programs conducted by the MHLW to identify issues with those programs and to examine ways to contribute to the establishment of systems for disseminating CBT and training people in CBT in the future.

As part of this project, we held two expert meetings entitled “Assessing State of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Use in Japan and Examine Systems for Contributing to the Future Dissemination of CBT and CBT-based Practices.” Together with people affected by mental disorders, opinion leaders in this field, and related organizations, we advanced the discussion on current issues facing CBT, future efforts to disseminate CBT, and next steps for establishing a system for CBT, including the development of human resources.

Based on the discussions at these meetings, we will compile and publish recommendations on CBT in the future.

 

■ First expert meeting overview
Date and time: Friday, February 12, 2021; 18:00 to 21:00
Format: Held online over Zoom

Program(in no particular order; titles omitted)
Welcoming remarks and explanatory introduction
Ryoji Noritake (CEO, HGPI)

Greetings
Koji Sasaki (Director, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Mental Health, and Disability Health Division, MHLW)

Keynote Speech 1: “The current situation surrounding CBT and CBT-based support methods”
Hironori Kuga (Assistant Director, Mental Health and Disability Health Division, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Social Welfare and War Victims’ Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Keynote Speech 2: “Definitions and requirements for the dissemination and social implementation of CBT from the perspective of Dissemination and Implementation Science”
Taichi Shimazu (Section Head, Implementation Science Section, Behavioral Science Division, National Cancer Center for Public Health Sciences)

Roundtable discussion: “Progress on the dissemination and promotion of CBT as a treatment and future prospects for its advancement”
Survey Report: “‘Effectiveness of past CBT training programs and current status of human resource development’ study results”
Atsuo Nakagawa (Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Keio University School of Medicine)

Panelists:
Tetsuya Ando (Section Chief, Section of Stress Research, Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry)
Masahiko Inoue (Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University)
Ken Udagawa (Chairperson, COmmunity Mental Health & welfare Bonding Organization (COMHBO))
Yutaka Ono (President, Center for the Development of Cognitive Behavior Therapy Training)
Yoshie Okada (Chairperson and Professor, Department of Nursing, International University of Health and Welfare School of Nursing at Narita)
Yoshiharu Kim (Director, National Institute of Mental Health)
Eiji Shimizu (Professor, Department of Cognitive Behavioral Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine and School of Medicine, Chiba University)
Yoshihiko Tanno (Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo)
Tomohiro Nakao (Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University)
Toshiaki A. Furukawa (Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, Health Issues Course, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University)
Noriko Furuya (Member, House of Representatives; Chairperson, New Komeito Project Team for Depression Countermeasures)
Masaru Horikoshi (Director, National Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry)
Toshihiko Matsumoto (Director, Department of Drug Dependence Research, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry)
Naoki Yoshinaga (Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki)

Moderator:
Shunichiro Kurita (Manager, HGPI)

 

■ Second expert meeting overview
Date and time: Thursday, February 18, 2021; 18:00 to 20:30
Format: Held online over Zoom

Program (in no particular order; titles omitted)
Welcoming remarks and explanatory introduction
Shunichiro Kurita

Greetings
Koji Sasaki (Director, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Mental Health, and Disability Health Division, MHLW)

Keynote Speech 1: “The current situation surrounding CBT and CBT-based support methods”
Hironori Kuga (Assistant Director, Mental Health and Disability Health Division, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Social Welfare and War Victims’ Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Keynote Speech 2: “Definitions and requirements for the dissemination and social implementation of CBT from the perspective of Dissemination and Implementation Science”
Taichi Shimazu (Section Head, Implementation Science Section, Behavioral Science Division, National Cancer Center for Public Health Sciences)

Roundtable discussion: “Progress on the dissemination and promotion of CBT-based support methods and future prospects for their advancement”
Panelists:
Shin-ichi Ishikawa (Professor, Faculty of Psychology, Doshisha University)
Kensuke Utsunomiya (Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health)
Nobuo Oshima (Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University)
Keigo Kobayashi (Person with Mental Health Condition)
Makoto Sugahara (Deputy Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Chubu Center for Mental Health and Welfare)
Asuka Tanoue (Senior Occupational Health Mental Health Coordinator, Health Promotion Department, Sompo Health Support Inc.)
Atsuo Nakagawa (Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Keio University School of Medicine)
Kiyoko Fukushima (Professor, Department of Integrated Human Studies, Japan Lutheran College)

Moderator:
Shunichiro Kurita