Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

Mental illness is a real and growing problem in Japan, but one that is not acknowledged in many quarters. Government funding for mental health care has been shrinking, and a strong stigma against acknowledging psychological problems is still common. The central figure is Dr Yamamoto, a psychiatrist who runs Chorale Okayama, an outpatient mental health facility in Japan. Yamamoto’s patients are dealing with everything from multiple personality to panic disorder. Many of them are suicidal, socially isolated and living on public assistance. His goal is to create a community where they can develop the self-confidence, survival skills and human connections they need to ease their transition into the larger society, and he offers occupational therapy in two small businesses affiliated with Chorale Okayama, a dairy and a restaurant. However, though Yamamoto has much to be proud of, he usually finds himself dealing with more than he has the resources to handle, and a handful of his clients opt to commit suicide rather than see their treatment through.

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