Abstract
Objectives
The welfare of psychiatric patients has been more delayed than that of people with other disabilities or difficulties around the world. The welfare of psychiatric patients in Japan began in the 1980s in earnest. I show the process of its development and its current situations.
Methods
For this, I thoroughly surveyed the laws and literature on the welfare of psychiatric patients in Japan.
Results
The legislation on the welfare of psychiatric patients in Japan started with that for people with intellectual disabilities in 1960. There were no laws on the welfare of other psychiatric patients after World War II. Under pressure from the international community, the Mental Health Act prescribed patients’ rehabilitation for the first time in 1987. The act was amended to the Act on Mental Health and Welfare to fulfill the welfare of psychiatric patients in 1995.
In 2005, the new act, the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act integrated welfare services for all people with disabilities, physical, intellectual, and mental disabilities, and the welfare of people with disabilities has shifted from accommodation-based to community-based welfare.
Conclusions
In Japan, the welfare of psychiatric patients started in the 1980s. In the 21st century, it has developed, integrated with the welfare of people with other disabilities, from accommodation-based to community-based.
