My Journey
It has been over forty years since I became a psychiatrist. I first aspired to become a physician at the age of fourteen and decided to pursue psychiatry at twenty. After completing a one-year initial rotational residency at Nagoya Ekisaikai Hospital, I trained in psychiatry as a medical staff member at Nagoya University Hospital. I then spent more than a decade working at Aichi Prefectural Shiroyama Hospital, a specialized psychiatric hospital. Subsequently, I engaged in psychiatric practice and mental health consultation at Nagoya University Hospital and at the Health Center of Nagoya Institute of Technology. After thirty-seven years as a public servant and two additional years as a
clinic-based physician, I unexpectedly succeeded to the directorship of this clinic.
Philosophy & Interests
I have long been interested in the fundamental question: Where do we come from, and where are we going? The origins and future of humankind have always fascinated me. Although the distinction between self and others can be identified even at the cellular and immunological levels, I hold a particular interest in the human mind—one of the few forms of life on Earth capable of self-awareness.
I am, after all, only a clinician. Yet I have long been interested in the question, “Where in the brain does the self reside?”—that is, the relationship between identity and neuroscience. I have also been involved, to a modest extent, in research on electroencephalography and the physiology and pathology of sleep. Thus, sleep psychiatry has become a central theme in my work—though my efforts may amount to no more than a small glimpse of the grand visions pursued by pioneers such as Henri Piéron in France and Nathaniel Kleitman in the United States.
Daily Practice
In daily clinical practice, I am constantly learning from my patients. Individuals visit our clinic with a wide range of psychiatric symptoms, including insomnia, anxiety, apathy, depression, hallucinations, delusions, and memory impairment. We also see patients with sleep disorders such as insufficient sleep syndrome, hypersomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, REM sleep behavior disorder, and delayed sleep–wake phase disorder, as well as those experiencing impaired consciousness, seizures, and other epileptic conditions.
We conduct high-quality electrophysiological testing, including electroencephalography (EEG) and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), performed by experienced technicians. For sleep-disordered breathing, we provide home sleep testing over two consecutive nights. Although our clinic operates strictly by appointment for both new and returning patients, we strive to complete diagnostic evaluations as promptly as possible.
For Better Care
Occasionally, patients discontinue treatment citing “compatibility” with their physician. I believe that compatibility has little relevance in medical care. I have known colleagues who may appear unsociable yet demonstrate outstanding diagnostic and therapeutic skill. In fact, excessive affability may sometimes obscure insufficient medical expertise. Therefore, even when a patient requests a transfer, I may recommend continuing current treatment after carefully reviewing the clinical course. Furthermore, for patients who have previously received psychiatric treatment, we require a referral letter from the attending physician before initiating care at our clinic.
We also provide second-opinion consultations for individuals currently under treatment in psychiatry or sleep medicine. Through the nationwide network of the Japanese Society of Sleep Research and through close collaboration between hospitals and clinics, we coordinate care for patients with comorbid physical illnesses or highly specialized psychiatric conditions. Physical and mental health are inseparably connected, and I make every effort to refer patients to trusted specialists whenever appropriate.
Please feel free to visit our clinic.
May 1, 2016
Yuhei Kayukawa
