Greetings from the chairman

Japan’s pediatric medical care provision system is undergoing major changes. With the establishment of a pediatric emergency medical system and the spread of vaccinations, the number of acute illnesses has decreased, and care for chronic illnesses will be the main focus in the future. Against this backdrop, mental health issues in children are receiving a great deal of attention from both medical professionals and the public. In addition, in order to prevent various illnesses in adulthood, it is important for children to be interested in their own health, including mental health, from a young age. Psychosomatic medicine is a discipline that clarifies the connection between the mind and body, and we believe that our medical care and research activities will contribute to improving the mental health of children.

I would like to present my vision for my two-year term as chairman. First of all, I am thinking about building a system for collaboration between primary care doctors / school doctors and children’s mental health care clinicians. I would like to build a system in Japan that allows children with mental health issues and their families to access medical care with peace of mind. As a society, we need a system that protects and nurtures children without relying solely on the efforts of a single doctor or psychologist. I would like to conduct a survey into challenges and barriers hindering collaboration between primary care physicians / school doctors and association members, determine what needs to be done to overcome those challenges, and work to construct a collaborative system. Furthermore, children’s mental health issues are recognized at all life stages, and if issues occurring in infancy are not resolved, they will only become more complex as the child reaches school age and adolescence. As professionals in the field of children’s mental health care, we, the members of this association, must continue to improve ourselves so that we can address the mental health issues of children at all developmental stages and provide support to their parents. I would like to ask this association’s members what contributions each of us can make toward realizing a bright future for the children in our care.

We regard children as biopsychosocial beings, and we continue to treat them with the knowledge that psychosocial factors also influence biological events. This does not apply only to children with psychosomatic disorders. We must incorporate this perspective into our approach to healthy children as well, if we wish to promote healthy lifestyles. This association currently has more than 1,600 members, including doctors and psychiatric professionals. I value the opinions of each member and aim to operate this association in an open manner with the goal of improving the mental health of all children.

Thank you for your support and guidance.