Paving the way for the future of child and adolescent mental health in Japan

Abstract

Japan’s healthcare system is primarily focused on general care, and psychiatric services are mainly concerned with institutional solutions to serious mental health issues. As a result, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) have been slow to develop, and there is a limited evidence base to guide treatment. As such, providing treatment to this population is a challenging endeavour. This landscape piece aims to illustrate the current state of child and adolescent services in Japan and provides a description of a recently opened private clinic for children with mental health conditions in Kuroyashi, a city in the Tottori prefecture. The vignette describes steps taken by the clinic’s director to overcome systemic challenges and increase access to mental health services to children and adolescents.