Some of the people quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship became suicidal, according to a report released by the Japan Psychiatric Hospitals Association.
The association reported Tuesday on the recent activities of the Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team (DPAT) on the cruise ship and at the government-arranged facilities where returnees from Wuhan, China, stayed in Japan.
From Feb. 2 to March 3, about 550 psychiatrists and other specialists from across the country provided psychological care for the people who were isolated for a long time on the cruise ship, on which infections with the new coronavirus were detected. They also assisted people who had returned from Wuhan on government-chartered flights.
The team received a total of 385 requests for consultations, with 91 of them related to serious complaints such as "I want to die" and "I want to jump off the ship."
There were also 101 complaints about anxiety and insomnia that were ascribed to prolonged isolation.
One male doctor among the DPAT members dispatched to the cruise ship was confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus. The ministry plans to conduct tests on all the relevant DPAT members who wish to be tested.
The Japan Psychiatric Hospitals Association supervised the assistance team at the request of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
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