Rained-On Ground Hardens: Part V

In Black American and Japanese communities, there is a feeling of responsibility to one’s community. There is a blur amongst the self, family, and community, particularly in Black American communities. There is mutual assistance in these communities; strong social support and communal spirit may help compensate for individual deficits when disaster strikes. When terrible things happen, there is also a collective sense of loss. The most harmful effects of disasters may be lessened by activating social networks. Keeping communities together is important because of the reliability, care, and trustworthiness of their social networks.

When this cohesion fails, Black Americans and Japanese are often unwilling to seek out mental health treatment culturally. Post-traumatic stress disorder is more likely to occur when mental health assistance is not obtained, and untreated distress can lead to issues with recovery from trauma, the grieving process, and dealing with daily life. Both Black Americans and Japanese tend to avoid discussing emotional distress, limit discussion of symptoms, and do not openly exhibit behavioral changes; for Black Americans, this may be related to an entirely warranted distrust of the healthcare system in the United States.

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake triple disaster, survivors were provided support through Japan’s single payer healthcare system. This may have helped stave off a large amount of prolonged stress disorder and grief. In the absence of a single payer system in the United States, a coordinated medical response to Katrina was unable to be mounted.