Recovery of Percent Vital Capacity by Breathing Training in Patients With Panic Disorder and Impaired Diaphragmatic Breathing.

Slow diaphragmatic breathing is one of the therapeutic methods used in behavioral therapy for panic disorder. In practice, we have noticed that some of these patients could not perform diaphragmatic breathing and their percent vital capacity was initially reduced but could be recovered through breathing training. We conducted a comparative study with healthy controls to investigate the relationship between diaphragmatic breathing ability and percent vital capacity in patients with panic disorder. Our findings suggest that percent vital capacity in patients with impaired diaphragmatic breathing was significantly reduced compared with those with normal diaphragmatic breathing and that diaphragmatic breathing could be restored by breathing training. Percent vital capacity of the healthy controls was equivalent to that of the patients who had completed breathing training. This article provides preliminary findings regarding reduced vital capacity in relation to abnormal respiratory movements found in patients with panic disorder, potentially offering alternative perspectives for verifying the significance of breathing training for panic disorder.

Effects of a mental health training program for manufacturing company managers.

We practiced interventional approaches for the promotion of occupational mental health in a manufacturing company with approximately 2,000 workers, between 2005 and 2007. We investigated the long-term effects of our mental health training program--including Active Listening (AL) training for managers--on perceived job stressors, stress reactions and social supports of workers, and mental sick leave. We conducted the mental health training program with AL training for all managers in order to improve their communication skills and support for workers. The investigation was conducted using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ). In addition, we surveyed the number of workers taking sick leave due to mental problems from 2003 to 2007. Among the categories of "job stressors" in the BJSQ, the scores for "quantitative workload," "qualitative workload" and "physical demands" improved significantly after our interventional approaches. The number of workers taking sick leave had been increasing gradually from 2003 to 2005, but this decreased by approximately half in 2006 and 2007. Our mental health training programs for managers were successful in decreasing some job stressors, stress reactions, and workers' sick leave due to mental problems.

Development of a work improvement checklist for occupational mental health focused on requests from workers.

OBJECTIVES: To develop tools offering definite orientation for managers and employees to support their work improvement through occupational mental health. This research was a part of the Mental Health Improvement & Reinforcement Study (MIR study), conducted from October 2004 to March 2006. METHODS: We developed a trial version named the Kaizen Check List (KCL) by referring to problem solving methods for quality management. Then we improved it for a formal version named MIR Research of Recognition (MIRROR). A feedback form named MIR Action Guidance (MIRAGe) was also developed. We analyzed data from 1,953 respondents at five manufacturing enterprises in Japan using MIRROR and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) to determine whether or not the workers requesting work improvement had more stress than other workers. RESULTS: The KCL had 47 items, which indicated desirable working conditions for mental health at work, and four answer categories. MIRROR has 45 selected items and improved answer categories. MIRAGe displays the results of MIRROR and step-by-step guidance for work improvement. Respondents with request had significantly higher scores in stressor and lower scores in buffer factors compared with respondents without request in many items of MIRROR. CONCLUSIONS: A combinational use of MIRROR and stress scales is useful for finding worksites with high risk factors for mental health and for directing focus on work improvement at these worksites according to workers' requests.