Abstract Aim This study characterized Disaster Psychiatric Assistance Team (DPAT)‐recorded consultations following the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake (NPE) by comparing Japan Surveillance in Post Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (J‐SPEED) records with Disaster Mental Health Information Support System (DMHISS) records from the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake (KE), with particular attention to population aging, peninsula geography, geographic isolation, and infrastructure disruption. Methods This descriptive epidemiological study analyzed J‐SPEED data from the NPE (January 2 to May 26, 2024) and DMHISS data for the KE (April 14 to June 30, 2016). Age group, sex, consultation period, and mental health events were compared. Temporal comparisons were restricted to the common 78‐day DPAT activity window. p values for 15 comparable event categories were adjusted using the Holm–Bonferroni method. Results Consultations were fewer after the NPE ( n = 488) than after the KE ( n = 2,125), but among consultations with recorded age data, the proportion of older adults (65+ years) was higher after the NPE (58.4% vs. 41.4%). Anxiety (42.4%) and insomnia (32.8%) were the most frequent symptoms. After Holm–Bonferroni adjustment, depression, suicidal ideation, flashbacks, anger, excitement, incontinent speech, wandering, and verbal/physical aggression were more frequent after the NPE, whereas somatic symptoms were more frequent after the KE. Consultation timing within 78 days did not differ significantly, and consultations and deployments on or after Day 79 occurred only after the NPE. Conclusion The NPE was characterized by a higher proportion of older adults and more frequent depression, suicidal ideation, flashbacks, and behavioral problems. Records on or after Day 79 indicate DPAT‐involved consultations in a later post‐disaster phase, although persistent needs and delayed reach of support could not be distinguished.
Takagi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.