Other

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Compass v2 Podcast

The Compass

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about society

Surprising stories from unusual places. With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about the environment and politics, culture and society.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

The Compass: The Borders of Sanity: Depression in Japan

Bulletins

Factual

Depression in Japan

11/08/2016 GMT

The Borders of Sanity

BBC World Service - The Compass, The Borders of Sanity, Depression in Japan

Why is Japan going through a revolution in the awareness and treatment of depression?

Japan is going through a revolution in how depression is talked about and treated. Christopher Harding explores why.

Up until the late 1990s, depression was all but unknown in Japanese society and pharmaceutical companies had given up on trying to sell anti-depressants there. Fast forward to today and court cases alleging overwork depression and overwork suicide, reassuring commercial branding of depression as a "cold of the soul" and increased media attention have turned Japan into a highly medicated society. In the first episode of a five-part series about mental health and culture, Christopher Harding explores how in just a few years, psychiatrists, lawyers and the pharmaceutical companies helped introduce 'depression' to Japan. 

Producer: Keith Moore 

(Photo by Tori Sugari)

The Compass: The Borders of Sanity

Christopher Harding asks if the medicalisation of mental illness obscures the wide variation between countries and cultures.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Compass

The Borders of Sanity

Depression in Japan

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

About BBC World Service