Comments from a psychiatrist
Symptoms of neurosis
- Neurosis involves a variety of psychiatric symptoms.
- The first one is "ordinary neurosis". Patients with this specific neurosis insist that they are sick, whereas they have no physical illness.. For example, they complain that they feel heavy in the head. However, the head is basically heavy. As it is the heaviest part of the whole body. It shouldn't feel light.
- Next, "phobias, obsessions and compulsions" include fear of revealing oneself through facial expressions, fear of imperfection, fear of reading, mysophobia, fear of idle thoughts, etc.
- Some patients suffering from anxiety neurosis cannot go outside for fear their hearts will stop beating or they will faint. The heartbeat can never stop normally. If I say "why don't you make fuss and stop your heart" the patient often denounces me as a cold-hearted doctor. They continue to feel anxiety.
- Thus, neurosis can be divided into categories, but according to Dr. Morita, one therapy will do to deal with all of them. I think that obsessive-compulsive neurosis and anxiety neurosis fall into different categories. The character of the patients is somewhat different. Obsessive-compulsive neurosis needs to be diagnosed differentially from schizophrenia, and anxiety neurosis needs to be diagnosed differentially from depression.
Proper psychotherapy should fit each patient
- I believe that Morita Therapy is a very effective means for treatment of patients with neurosis. Ten years ago, I was assigned the position at Hamamatsu Medical College. Until then, I had worked for Jikei University School of Medicine, where I had only engaged in Morita Therapy. I found that what with psychoanalysis and behavior therapy, the college practiced many different treatments in addition to Morita Therapy. Furthermore, various other therapies such as music therapy, art therapy, family therapy, and so forth., were also in use. All things considered, I found that Morita Therapy could work quicker compared with other therapies.
- However, if we approach cases of mixed neurosis or depression in a Morita therapeutic manner, we find there might be the possibility of suicide or other risks. Therefore, I think it important to selectively try out different therapies on respective patients. At the same time, I also think that the Morita therapeutic approach is very effective for any patient as a final step prior to the patient's return to society.
Dr. Kenshiro Ohara
Born in Kochi prefecture in 1930. Doctor of Medicine. Former Director of The Society for Morita Therapy , and Member of the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Okamoto Memorial Foundation. His books include "SUICIDE IN JAPAN", "MORITA THERAPY", "WE ARE FAMILY" and many others.