The mental health of seafarers: a brief review
This report discusses the mental health of seafarers from two separate but related aspects. The first is a brief review of statistics on seafarers’ mental health and the underlying causes of poor mental health by many seafarers. Statistics show that the rate of suicide by seafarers is much higher th...
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Robert T. B. Iversen 2018-06-16T13:47:14Z 2018-06-16T13:47:14Z 2011 The mental health of seafarers: a brief review / Robert T. B. Iversen // Актуальні проблеми транспортної медицини. — 2011. — № 3 (25). — С. 38-48. — Бібліогр.: 28 назв. — англ. 1818-9385 https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/136561 612.82-056.22;656.6-051 This report discusses the mental health of seafarers from two separate but related aspects. The first is a brief review of statistics on seafarers’ mental health and the underlying causes of poor mental health by many seafarers. Statistics show that the rate of suicide by seafarers is much higher than general populations and that the causes of depression leading to suicide include loneliness, separation from families, stress, lack of shore leave, short ship turn abound times, job security and cultural problems. The second is a description of two projects started in the past three years by the Rotary Club of Melbourne South (Australia) and by the International Committee on Seafarers Welfare (ICSW). The Rotary project, being carried out under the guidance of the Melbourne Port Welfare Association, has distributed booklets on the single topic of depression for Masters and leaflets for non-officer seafarers in four languages: English, Chinese, Tagalog and Russian. As of June 1, 2011 this material has been put aboard more than 1,200 ships in five ports in Australia. The ICSW project has produced guidelines in English for mental care onboard merchant ships and covers stress, harassment and bullying, anxiety, depression, disruptive thinking and behavior and addiction to alcohol and drugs. The Rotary Club of Melbourne South has started planning for the First International Symposium on the Mental Health of Seafarers to be held in either Hong Kong or Singapore in early 2013. У роботі розглядаються питання психічного здоров’я моряків у двох окремих, але взаємопов’язаних аспектах.Перший - короткий огляд статистики і основних причин поганого психічного здоров’я багатьох моряків. Статистика показує, що рівень самогубств моряків набагато вище, ніж у населення в цілому. Причини депресії, що ведуть до самогубства, включають самотність, відірваність від сімей, стрес, відсутність звільнень на берег, важка робота і проблеми з дозвіллям. Ротарі Клуб Мельбурн Південь (Австралія) та Міжнародний комітет із соціального забезпечення моряків (МССО) розповсюдили буклети по темі депресії для магістрів і листівки для моряків неофіцерів на чотирьох мовах. Станом на 1 червня 2011 цей матеріал був доставлений на борт понад 1200 кораблів у п’яти портах Австралії. Проект МССО випустив керівництво англійською мовою для підтримки психічного здоров’я моряків на борту торговельних суден і охоплює стрес, утиски та залякування, занепокоєння, депресію, деструктивне мислення і поведінку, пристрасть до алкоголю та наркотиків. Ротарі Клуб запланував Перший міжнародний симпозіум з охорони психічного здоров’я моряків, який відбудеться в Гонконзі або Сінгапурі на початку 2013 року. В работе рассматриваются вопросы психического здоровья моряков в двух отдельных, но взаимосвязанных аспектах. Первый - краткий обзор статистики и основных причин плохого психического здоровья многих моряков.Статистика показывает, что уровень самоубийств моряков намного выше, чем у населения в целом. Причины депрессии, ведущие к самоубийству включают одиночество, оторванность от семей, стресс, отсутствие увольнений на берег, тяжелая работа и проблемы с досугом. Ротари Клуб Мельбурн Юг (Австралия) и Международный комитет по социальному обеспечению моряков (МССО) распространили буклеты по теме депрессии для магистров и листовки для моряков не-офицеров на четырех языках: английском, китайском, тагальском и русском языках. По состоянию на 1 июня 2011 этот материал был доставлен на борт более 1200 кораблей в пяти портах Австралии. Проект МССО выпустил руководство на английском языке для поддержания психического здоровья моряков на борту торговых судов и охватывает стресс, притеснения и запугивания, беспокойство, депрессию, деструктивное мышление и поведение, пристрастие к алкоголю и наркотикам. Ротари Клуб запланировал Первый международный симпозиум по охране психического здоровья моряков, который состоится в Гонконге или Сингапуре в начале 2013 года. en Фізико-хімічний інститут ім. О.В. Богатського НАН України Актуальні проблеми транспортної медицини Материалы 11 Международного симпозиума по морской медицине The mental health of seafarers: a brief review Психічне здоров’я моряків: короткий огляд Психическое здоровье моряков: краткий обзор Article published earlier |
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The mental health of seafarers: a brief review |
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The mental health of seafarers: a brief review Robert T. B. Iversen Материалы 11 Международного симпозиума по морской медицине |
| title_short |
The mental health of seafarers: a brief review |
| title_full |
The mental health of seafarers: a brief review |
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The mental health of seafarers: a brief review |
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The mental health of seafarers: a brief review |
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mental health of seafarers: a brief review |
| author |
Robert T. B. Iversen |
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Robert T. B. Iversen |
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Материалы 11 Международного симпозиума по морской медицине |
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Материалы 11 Международного симпозиума по морской медицине |
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2011 |
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English |
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Актуальні проблеми транспортної медицини |
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Фізико-хімічний інститут ім. О.В. Богатського НАН України |
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Article |
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Психічне здоров’я моряків: короткий огляд Психическое здоровье моряков: краткий обзор |
| description |
This report discusses the mental health of seafarers from two separate but related aspects. The first is a brief review of statistics on seafarers’ mental health and the underlying causes of poor mental health by many seafarers. Statistics show that the rate of suicide by seafarers is much higher than general populations and that the causes of depression leading to suicide include loneliness, separation from families, stress, lack of shore leave, short ship turn abound times, job security and cultural problems. The second is a description of two projects started in the past three years by the Rotary Club of Melbourne South (Australia) and by the International Committee on Seafarers Welfare (ICSW). The Rotary project, being carried out under the guidance of the Melbourne Port Welfare Association, has distributed booklets on the single topic of depression for Masters and leaflets for non-officer seafarers in four languages: English, Chinese, Tagalog and Russian. As of June 1, 2011 this material has been put aboard more than 1,200 ships in five ports in Australia. The ICSW project has produced guidelines in English for mental care onboard merchant ships and covers stress, harassment and bullying, anxiety, depression, disruptive thinking and behavior and addiction to alcohol and drugs. The Rotary Club of Melbourne South has started planning for the First International Symposium on the Mental Health of Seafarers to be held in either Hong Kong or Singapore in early 2013.
У роботі розглядаються питання психічного здоров’я моряків у двох окремих, але взаємопов’язаних аспектах.Перший - короткий огляд статистики і основних причин поганого психічного здоров’я багатьох моряків. Статистика показує, що рівень самогубств моряків набагато вище, ніж у населення в цілому. Причини депресії, що ведуть до самогубства, включають самотність, відірваність від сімей, стрес, відсутність звільнень на берег, важка робота і проблеми з дозвіллям. Ротарі Клуб Мельбурн Південь (Австралія) та Міжнародний комітет із соціального забезпечення моряків (МССО) розповсюдили буклети по темі депресії для магістрів і листівки для моряків неофіцерів на чотирьох мовах. Станом на 1 червня 2011 цей матеріал був доставлений на борт понад 1200 кораблів у п’яти портах Австралії. Проект МССО випустив керівництво англійською мовою для підтримки психічного здоров’я моряків на борту торговельних суден і охоплює стрес, утиски та залякування, занепокоєння, депресію, деструктивне мислення і поведінку, пристрасть до алкоголю та наркотиків. Ротарі Клуб запланував Перший міжнародний симпозіум з охорони психічного здоров’я моряків, який відбудеться в Гонконзі або Сінгапурі на початку 2013 року.
В работе рассматриваются вопросы психического здоровья моряков в двух отдельных, но взаимосвязанных аспектах. Первый - краткий обзор статистики и основных причин плохого психического здоровья многих моряков.Статистика показывает, что уровень самоубийств моряков намного выше, чем у населения в целом. Причины депрессии, ведущие к самоубийству включают одиночество, оторванность от семей, стресс, отсутствие увольнений на берег, тяжелая работа и проблемы с досугом. Ротари Клуб Мельбурн Юг (Австралия) и Международный комитет по социальному обеспечению моряков (МССО) распространили буклеты по теме депрессии для магистров и листовки для моряков не-офицеров на четырех языках: английском, китайском, тагальском и русском языках. По состоянию на 1 июня 2011 этот материал был доставлен на борт более 1200 кораблей в пяти портах Австралии. Проект МССО выпустил руководство на английском языке для поддержания психического здоровья моряков на борту торговых судов и охватывает стресс, притеснения и запугивания, беспокойство, депрессию, деструктивное мышление и поведение, пристрастие к алкоголю и наркотикам. Ротари Клуб запланировал Первый международный симпозиум по охране психического здоровья моряков, который состоится в Гонконге или Сингапуре в начале 2013 года.
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https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/136561 |
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The mental health of seafarers: a brief review / Robert T. B. Iversen // Актуальні проблеми транспортної медицини. — 2011. — № 3 (25). — С. 38-48. — Бібліогр.: 28 назв. — англ. |
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АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (22), 2011 г.
38
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
Introduction
This report is divided into two parts.
The first part is a brief review of the recent
literature on seafarer’s mental health. The
second part describes a seafarers’ mental
health project carried out through the Mel�
bourne Port Welfare Association and anoth�
er project by the International Committee
on Seafarer’s Welfare concerning seafar�
ers’ mental health.2
Part 1: A review of recent literature.
Materials and methods
Recent literature on seafarers’ mental
health was obtained by the author’s
personal contacts with individuals interested
in this subject, but mainly by searching the
internet for papers on the Mental health of
seafarers, Depression among seafarers,
Suicides among seafarers and Fatigue
among seafarers. The first hundred hits on
these topics usually resulted in the most
important papers.
Seafarers’ rights to mental health
care.
Douglas Stevenson (2009) states
“Neither traditional maritime law or the ILO
Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, specif�
ically addresses mental health care, but
court decisions in the past fifty years make
it very clear that a seafarers’ right to free
medical care includes a right to free men�
tal health care. A greater obstacle to sea�
farers seeking mental health care is the
stigma of receiving the care. Seafarers may
fear being labeled as a person with a men�
tal illness and all of its associated
stereotypes…Seeking mental care can also
have consequences for a seafarers’ social
acceptance and self�esteem.”
Suicide – a serious problem
The evidence that suicide among
seafarers is a serious problem is incontro�
vertible. Suicides among seafarers have
been widely reported as shown in Table 1
and Table 2. Several cite seafarers that dis�
appear without a trace and which are
УДК 612.82�056.22;656.6�051
THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SEAFARERS: A BRIEF REVIEW
Robert T. B. Iversen
International Service Committee
Rotary Club of Melbourne South (Australia)
This report discusses the mental health of seafarers from two separate but related
aspects. The first is a brief review of statistics on seafarers’ mental health and the underlying
causes of poor mental health by many seafarers. Statistics show that the rate of suicide by
seafarers is much higher than general populations and that the causes of depression leading
to suicide include loneliness, separation from families, stress, lack of shore leave, short
ship turn abound times, job security and cultural problems. The second is a description of
two projects started in the past three years by the Rotary Club of Melbourne South (Australia)
and by the International Committee on Seafarers Welfare (ICSW). The Rotary project, being
carried out under the guidance of the Melbourne Port Welfare Association, has distributed
booklets on the single topic of depression for Masters and leaflets for non�officer seafarers
in four languages: English, Chinese, Tagalog and Russian. As of June 1, 2011 this material
has been put aboard more than 1,200 ships in five ports in Australia. The ICSW project has
produced guidelines in English for mental care onboard merchant ships and covers stress,
harassment and bullying, anxiety, depression, disruptive thinking and behavior and addiction
to alcohol and drugs. The Rotary Club of Melbourne South has started planning for the
First International Symposium on the Mental Health of Seafarers to be held in either Hong
Kong or Singapore in early 2013.
Key words: mental health of seafarers, the prevention of suicide
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (25), 2011 г.
39
thought to be suicides. Roberts & Marlow
(2005) reported deaths of disappearing
seafarers as follows: “…178 seafarers in
this study were due to disappearances at
sea or were found drowned. From examin�
ing official inquiry files, suicide was the
most plausible cause in about half of these
178 cases.” Disappearing seafarers are
also discussed in Low (2006).
Suicide by seafarers is much high�
er than suicides in general populations. In
Australia for example, suicides were two
percent of the country’s total deaths in
1998 (Wesley Mission 2000) and 1.5% of
all deaths in 2008 (ABS 2008)
1 The views and opinions stated in this
report are those of the author, and not nec�
essarily those of Rotary or the other
project participants.
2 The two projects are titled The Men�
tal Health of Seafarers, being carried out
through the Melbourne Port Welfare As�
sociation, and Guidelines for Mental Care
Onboard Merchant Ships by the Interna�
tional Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare.
The two projects approach the subject of
seafarer’s mental health from different but
related perspectives.
3 22 seafarers disappeared at sea
4 178 seafarers disappeared at sea
5 Flag of Convenience
Table 1
Percentage of all deaths by suicide
Reference Nationality Total
Deaths Suicides % Suicide
Roberts & Williams 2007 UK 369 16 4.33
Szymanska et al. 2006 Polish 324 33 10.2
Roberts & Marlow 2006 UK 60 6 10.0
Roberts 2006 UK 65 2 3.1
Roberts & Marlow 2005 UK 835 55 6.64
Roberts 2003 FOC5 624 36 5.8
Li & Zhang 2002 UK 5,839 348 5.6
Cooper 2000 Various 926 91 9.8
Nielsen 1999 Various 123 4 3.3
Hansen 1996 Danish 94 12 12.8
Jaremin et al. 1996 Polish 109 4 3.7
Larsson & Lindquist 1992 Swedish 223 18 8.1
3 22 seafarers disappeared at sea
4 178 seafarers disappeared at sea
5 Flag of Convenience
Table 2
Percentage of non-traumatic deaths by suicide
Reference Nationality Deaths Suicides % Suicide
Roberts & Williams 2007 UK 166 16 9.6
Roberts & Marlow 2006 UK 41 6 14.6
Roberts 2006 UK 31 2 6.5
Roberts 2003 FOC5 68 7 10.3
Li & Zhang 2002 UK 2,861 348 12.2
Cooper 2000 Various 521 91 17.5
Nielsen 1999 Various 42 4 9.5
Hansen 1996 Danish 53 12 22.6
Jaremin et al. 1996 Polish 44 4 9.1
Larsson & Lindquist 1992 Swedish 117 18 15.4
5 Flag of Convenience.
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (22), 2011 г.
40
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
When suicides are shown as percent�
ages of non�traumatic deaths, such as
stroke and heart attacks, they become
even higher as shown in Table 2. If half the
cases of disappearing seafarers at sea
were included in the data, as suggested by
Roberts and Marlow (2005), they would be
even higher than shown in Table 2.
My point here is that the real percent�
age of suicides among seafarers is much
higher than the statistics shown in Tables
1and 2 (emphasis added).
The Seafarers International Research
Centre at Cardiff University, Wales esti�
mates that three seafarers commit suicide
each week (SIRC 1998).
The highest post World War II num�
ber of seafarers in the U. K. merchant navy
was almost 200,000 in 1950, but by 2005
this number had decreased to 35,000
(Roberts and Williams, 2007). They report
the highest rate of suicides after World War
II was 23 per 100,000 seafarer work years
in 1970 with this dropping to 2.2 per
100,000 seafarer work years in 2005. They
state: “The increased risks of suicide in the
deep�sea trades were often linked to an
easy access to a means of suicide, social
isolation; and perhaps other identified risk
factors in the relationship between occu�
pation and suicide,” and “The reductions
over time in the deep�sea trading sector
since the 1970’s is therefore likely to be the
main explanation for the reductions in the
suicide rate”. Another possible reason
might be that the living conditions aboard
ships improved markedly and that the
mental health of U. K. merchant navy sea�
farers became more robust as working
conditions improved (my speculation).
Causes of mental illness among
seafarers
The causes of mental illness among
seafarers are well known. The Internation�
al Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare book�
let “Guidelines for Mental Care Onboard
Merchant Ships” (ICSW 2009) cites stress,
harassment and bullying, anxiety, fatigue,
disruptive thinking and behavior and addic�
tion to alcohol and drugs. To these must
be added loneliness, short ship turn around
times, lack of shore leave, separation from
spouses and families, job retention, and
long working hours. Piracy and criminaliza�
tion of seafarers are also causes, but these
two subjects are being covered by other
speakers at this Seafarers Welfare Forum.
Loneliness. There is no doubt that
loneliness creates problems for seafarers.
Lefevere (2000) quotes 80 year old Brazil�
ian priest Fr. Mario Bilbi: “Loneliness is a
seafarer’s heaviest cross, the Brazilian
priest said, noting that many seafarers are
away from home up to 10 months. It’s the
presence of God and the thought of their
families that is awakened at sea, he said –
especially at night when you’re alone on the
bridge. What you see is darkness. What you
hear is the talk of the
waves.”
M a l a k a u s k i e n e
(n.d.), citing Agterberg &
Passchier (1998), and
Sampson & Thomas
(2003), says they “showed
that the main psychological
problems were primarily
caused by long periods
away from home, social
isolation and its effects on
seafarers, the decreased
number of seamen perFigure l. A lonely seafarer.
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (25), 2011 г.
41
ship and increased automatization.”
Separation from spouses and fami�
lies. One of the first things that seafarers
do when visiting any of the five seafarer
centers in the Melbourne, Australia is to
head for a bank of computer consoles they
can use to communicate with their spous�
es and families at home. There is no charge
to use these computers and it is not un�
usual on any evening to see banks of 5 to
20 computers (in the five different centers)
completely filled with seafarers calling
home via the internet. Many use center
facilities to wire money home to families. A
few ship owners allow some crew members
to have their families on board. A few
months ago at the Stella Maris Seafarers’
Centre in Melbourne I met the second en�
gineer from a ship with an all Filipino crew.
He had his wife and two children with him
on the ship during the voyage.
Stress. The International Committee
on Seafarers’ Welfare booklet “Guidelines
for Mental Care Onboard Merchant Ships”
has one chapter devoted to the problem of
stress for seafarers (ICSW 2009). It says”
Typical symptoms of stress are insomnia,
loss of mental concentration, anxiety, sub�
stance abuse, extreme anger and frustra�
tion, family conflict and physical illnesses
such as heart disease, migraine head�
aches, stomach problems and back prob�
lems. Six key areas (or ‘risk factors’) can
be causes of work related stress on board.
These are: the demands of the job; the level
of control seafarers have over their work;
the support received from management
and colleagues; relationships at work; the
seafarers’ role in the organization; change
and how it is managed.”
“When under severe stress, a seafar�
er fails to take clear�cut decisions, reeval�
uate and reassesses priorities and life�
styles, and ultimately tends to fall into un�
productive distractions. This can be de�
scribed as a classic case of ‘burnout’.”
“Chronic responsibility syndrome is a
kind of burnout where people get mentally
and physically exhausted from their work�
load. The symptom is often described as
‘there’s too much work to do, and no one
else can do it but me’. Typically it will oc�
cur in hard working, hard driven people who
become emotionally, psychologically or
physically exhausted.”
Smith (2007) says that “Fatigue is
strongly linked to mental health problems
which are clearly risk factors for more
chronic disease and early death (e.g. sui�
cide).”
A classic accident resulting from fa�
tigue due to lack of sleep by a ship’s offic�
er occurred in Australian waters in on April
3, 2010 when the 225 meter long Chinese
bulk carrier Shen Neng 1, carrying 65,000
tons of coal and 950 tons of heavy fuel oil,
ran aground in a restricted zone on the
Great Barrier Reef as a result of the officer
forgetting to plot a safe passage of the ship
through the reef. According to news reports
the ship gouged a path three kilometers
long through the reef. An environmental
disaster was avoided because the weather
was good and except for a leaking a small
amount of fuel oil the ship was refloated
and taken to a safe anchorage prior to
returning to China for repairs. The Austra�
lian Maritime Safety Authority has released
a final report on this grounding which says
the accident was caused by fatigue of the
officer responsible for plotting the ship’s
path through the Great Barrier Reef (AMSA
2011).
Lack of shore leave. Von Dreele
(2008), in a paper delivered at a petroleum
conference stated “At SCI (Seaman’s
Church Institute) we have 10 years of sta�
tistics of our ship visits and services. Re�
markably, shore leave levels have averaged
only between 20�25% per ship. There are
a number of factors beyond turn around
times that account for this low percentage:
working, need for rest, lack of a US visa and
depression. The implementation of TWIC
(Transportation Workers Identification Cer�
tificate) will restrict any crew members who
currently walk through a terminal to the
gate for shore leave.”
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (22), 2011 г.
42
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
In August 2010 I went aboard a large
containership in Melbourne to deliver book�
lets in English on depression to the Master
(who also asked for other booklets in Chi�
nese and Russian, even though the crew
was made up of Filipino seafarers – and
who are usually thought to have a good
command of English). I was told the crew
had trouble getting shore leave in several
U. S. ports for a variety of reasons, some
relating to U. S. Coast Guard security reg�
ulations, others relating to ship turn around
times and the difficulty of simply getting to
the dockyard gate from the berthing area.
Short ship turn around times. Short
ship turn around times are a problem. In
Melbourne, Australia turn around time for
container ships is not more than three days
and in most cases less than that. However,
bulk cargo ships or combination contain�
er/bulk cargo ships may be in port for
somewhat longer periods. A significant
number of automobile carriers call in Mel�
bourne. Their loads of 5,000 or 6,000 au�
tomobiles can be discharged in 24 hours,
after which they are able to leave. This can
result in seafarers not getting a chance to
go ashore because their duties aboard
ships does not leave enough time for even
a half day ashore.
Job security. Most non�rated sea�
farers are employed on nine or ten month
contracts. As these contracts end the sea�
farers are said to be very concerned that
their contracts will not be renewed, thus
ending a chance to send money home (re�
patriation of wages). As a result of the great
financial crisis of 2008 the international
shipping industry was severely affected
with many ships unable to obtain charters,
causing seafarers to worry about job reten�
tion. Many ships were tied up and some an�
ecdotal accounts said newly constructed
container ships were being used as tem�
porary storage warehouses for the surplus
of empty containers that accumulated be�
cause of the lack of business.
Cultural problems. Von Dreele (2008)
says “Chaplains and ship visitors often con�
front the clash of cultures and nationalities
aboard ship. Certain nationalities should
never be put together on the same ship.
Racism and abuse are prevalent on many
open registry ships today. To compound all
of this, the seafarer has to deal with the
immense isolation aboard ship. He is gone
for up to nine months and rarely has an
opportunity to contact his family”. Howev�
er in fairness to ship owners, crew mem�
bers are now allowed access to email fa�
cilities aboard many ships. This is particu�
larly true of large oil tankers and of ships
managed by reputable shipping lines.
Part 2 – Description of two projects
The Mental Health of Seafarers: a
Joint Project by Melbourne Port Welfare As�
sociation beyondblue: the national depres�
sion initiative Rotary Club of Melbourne
South (Australia), Stella Maris Seafarers’
Centre (Melbourne, Australia), The Mission
to Seafarers Victoria (Australia)
This project was the result of discus�
sions between the Melbourne Port Welfare
Association, the Rotary Club of Melbourne
South, beyondblue: Australia’s national de�
pression initiative and the two seafarer cen�
ters after research by the Rotary Club of
Melbourne South showed that seafarers
are more likely to have a mental illness than
their counterparts on shore (Iversen,
2009). Its purpose is to produce printed in�
formation on the single mental health issue
of depression for distribution to Masters
and non�rated seafarers on the more than
2,000 ships carrying 60,000 seafarers that
berth in Victorian ports each year (Miriam
O’Brien Consulting, 2009) so that de�
pressed crew members can be identified
and helped and that the stigma associated
with such an illness can be reduced.
The website
www.seafarersmentalhealth.org of the
Rotary Club of Melbourne South contains
the business and operational plan for the
project, a memorandum of understanding
between the five project participants and
the project’s first annual report for 2009/
2010. Copies of booklets for Masters on
depression in English, Chinese and Russian
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (25), 2011 г.
43
on The Mental Health of Seafarers can be
downloaded from the Club’s website. A
smaller leaflet for non�rated seafarers in
English, Chinese, Tagalog and Russian on
Looking after the mental health of seafar�
ers is also available on the website.
The Melbourne Port Welfare Associ�
ation is a group of 15 prominent organiza�
tions on the Melbourne waterfront and is
undertaking efforts to make the visits of
seafarers pleasant and enjoyable. Its Chair�
man, Jim Beggs AM, at the project’s for�
mal launch on March 30, 2010, in com�
menting on the nation’s debt to seafarers,
said “So many Australians owe so much to
so few seafarers”. beyondblue leads an
Australia�wide advocacy on understanding
depression and removing its stigma. The
Stella Maris Seafarers’ Centre in Mel�
bourne and the Mission to Seafarers Vic�
toria between them operate five centers
where seafarers may rest, relax, wire mon�
ey home, communicate with families via the
internet, purchase small personal items
and receive pastoral counseling if they are
in distress.
Statistics gathered by the two seafar�
er centers in Melbourne show that 85% of
seafarers visiting Melbourne speak English,
Chinese or Russian so medium sized eight
page booklets for Masters were printed in
those languages. Distribution of these
booklets is tailored to the languages spo�
ken by Masters and ship’s officers. In 2008
a total of 25,629 seafarers visited the Stel�
la Maris Seafarers’ Centre and the Mission
to Seafarers in Melbourne. The top three
nationalities visiting the centers were Fili�
Figure 2 (English) Figure 3 (Chinese) Figure 4 (Russian)
Figure 5. Cover of a leaflet in English,
Chinese, Tagalog and Russian.
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (22), 2011 г.
44
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
pinos, Chinese and Indians
Images of the covers of booklets for
Masters are shown in Figures 2 � 4. Each
contains hotline telephone numbers that
Masters or ship’s officers can call for help
concerning a depressed seafarer. The hot�
lines are manned 24/7 by call centers at
Lifeline Australia (13 11 14) and the Fed�
eral government’s Translation and Inter�
preting Service (TIS) (13 14 50). If a non�
English speaking seafarer calls for help, a
conference call with Lifeline Australia, TIS
(which provides an interpreter) and the
seafarer is arranged. The pages of the
booklets contain a check list to identify
someone who is depressed, how to under�
stand depression, how someone with de�
pression can be helped and on reducing
stress. Smaller leaflets for non�rated sea�
farers have the same information but in a
shortened version (Figure 5).
Ship Visitors started distributing the
booklets to Masters on December 23,
2009. The distribution of the printed infor�
mation on depression is a critical part of the
project, and to measure its effectiveness a
benchmark of visiting 1,000 ships by De�
cember 31, 2010 has been set. (Note: the
original benchmark was to reach 700 ships
by June 30, 2010, but this was not reached
due a late start in distributing booklets).
However as of June 1, 2011 the Masters
of more than 1,200 ships in the ports of
Melbourne, Geelong, Hastings and Port�
land will have been given the booklets in
English, Chinese or Russian or leaflets for
non�rated seafarers in English, Chinese,
Tagalog and Russian.
Measuring results
Measuring results in such a project is
expected to be difficult. One positive result
would be if a ship Master or other officer
calls one of the hotlines to seek help
in the case of a depressed seafarer.
Another would be if Masters request addi�
tional copies of the booklets and leaflets on
depression. This has occurred on several
ships.
In February 2011 the Chief Officer of
a large ship, after reading one of the book�
lets for Masters, went to the Mission to
Seafarers in the port of Portland and told
the manager that he was very anxious and
depressed and asked for help. The Mis�
sion’s manager took the Chief Officer to a
doctor where he received medication and
counseling.
Educating Masters and seafarers
about depression in the hope it will remove
the stigma surrounding the mental illness
of depression would be a positive result –
but hard to measure.
Expanding the project.
The business and operational plan
considered making the project a broader
initiative than the State of Victoria. At the
project’s formal launch on March 30, 2010
the keynote speaker, the Hon. Jeff
Kennett AC, Chairman of beyondblue and
former Premier (= Governor) of the State
of Victoria, urged the project expand out�
side of Australia and become a global ini�
tiative. Steps to make the project interna�
tional in scope are underway. The Rotary
Club of Melbourne South has started plan�
ning to hold the First International Sympo�
sium on the Mental Health of Seafarers to
be held in either Hong Kong or Singapore
in early 2013.
Steps are underway to expand the
project to all major ports in Australia. Ship�
ping Australia Ltd., through its association
with ship’s agents responsible for foreign
flagged ships, has made it possible for a
new printing of booklets for Masters. These
new booklets will be distributed by the
ship’s agents in all major ports.
In 2009 a total of 40 large cruise ships
berthed in Melbourne.6 Each of these ships
carries a crew of about 500, for a total of
15,000 seafarers. The project will under�
take an effort, in cooperation with the In�
ternational Transport Workers Federation,
to reach these seafarers with information
on depression, most likely through a kiosk
on the dock adjacent to the ships. Masters
of cruise ships can also receive booklets
through the ship’s agents who board them
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (25), 2011 г.
45in Melbourne or other Australian ports.
Another approach is to contact mar�
itime academies that train cadets to be�
come deck and engineering officers
aboard ships to see if information on de�
pression could become part of their cur�
ricula, as today’s cadets are tomorrow’s
officers. For example, maritime academies
in India graduate 5,000 deck and engineer�
ing officers each year.7
Length of the project
Most projects initiated by Rotary have
a starting date and an ending date. Excep�
tions are Rotary’s Polio Plus project by
which Rotary helps vaccinate children
world�wide against polio and Rotary’s
Oceanic Medical Aid for Children which
brings children with physical impairments
to Australia for surgery that cannot be per�
formed at home. The Board of Directors of
the Rotary Club of Melbourne South adopt�
ed the policy of handing the project over
to another maritime organization after it has
been successfully run for several years.
This has been accomplished in 2011 in
Australia by Shipping Australia Ltd. arrang�
ing for ship’s agents distributing the book�
lets and leaflets. The Rotary Club of Mel�
bourne South is now expanding its work to
make the project international in scope via
an international symposium cited above.
Guidelines for Mental Care Onboard
Merchant Ships: a Project by the Interna�
tional Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare
The London based International Com�
mittee on Seafarers Welfare (ICSW) has
produced guidelines for the mental care of
seafarers’ onboard merchant ships (ICSW
2009). The ICSW, aware of the importance
on the health of seafarers, has pro�
ducedthe guidelines as part of its new
mental health project, which is funded by
the International Transport Workers Feder�
ation Trust. The ICSW’s Seafarers’ Health
Information Programme is part of its MEN�
TAL CARE initiative.
The guidelines are in a colorfully illus�
trated 12 page booklet with humorous car�
toons of seafaring life. It covers the follow�
ing 12 topics: Risks for Seafarers, Stress,
Harassment and Bullying, Anxiety, Depres�
sion, Fatigue, Disruptive Thinking and Be�
haviour, Addiction to Alcohol and Drugs,
Mental Care Onboard, Tips for the Suc�
cessful Implementation of a Mental Care
Campaign and Where to Find Advice.
The ICSW’s booklet notes that “Al�
though psychological problems are very
common among seafarers, the mental
health of seafarers has only comparatively
recently started to receive the attention it
deserves.”
“True mental illness occurs indepen�
dently of any physical ailment. Normally a
difference in behaviour can be seen, rang�
ing from just slightly unusual to completely
abnormal. This can vary between mild anx�
iety attacks to depression, disruptive think�
ing or aggressive behaviour. Even more
tragically, it can lead to suicide”.
The basic difference between The
Mental Health of Seafarers project and the
ICSW’s project is that the Australian initia�
Figure 6. ICSW booklet: Guidelines for
Mental Care Onboard Merchant Ships
АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (22), 2011 г.
46
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
tive covers only one topic: depression,
while the ICSW’s Guidelines are a much
broader tapestry about seafarers’ mental
health. It is hoped the two projects de�
scribed in this paper will be able to help
bring about long needed improvements in
the mental health of seafarers.
Conclusion
With deaths aboard merchant
ships by depression leading to suicide
being widely reported, the damage to the
seafarers, their families and ship owners
cannot be ignored. It strongly
demonstrates the need for everybody
connected with the international maritime
shipping industry to do something about it.
The mental health of seafarers and the
economic health of the shipping industry
will be improved as a result.
Acknowledgements
The cooperation and assistance
by the members and staffs of the
Melbourne Port Welfare Association,
beyondblue, the staffs of the Stella Maris
Seafarers’ Centre and the four Missions to
Seafarers Victoria, Shipping Australia Ltd.,
Lifeline Australia and the Translating and
Interpreting Service is gratefully
acknowledged. Special thanks go to
beyondblue Chairman the Hon. Jeff Ken�
nett AC for his comments at the formal
launch of the project and for his urging that
the project be expanded globally. The mon�
etary contributions of the Port of Mel�
bourne Corporation, the Australian
Mariners Welfare Association and the All
Souls Opportunity Shop made it possible
for the project to complete the printing of
booklets for Masters and leaflets for non�
rated seafarers. Finally to the officers and
members of the Rotary Club of Melbourne
South and the Governor and Special
Program Grants Committee of Rotary
District 9800 – your unflagging support has
made this project possible.
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АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ МЕДИЦИНЫ � № 3 (22), 2011 г.
48
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TRANSPORT MEDICINE �#3 (25), 2011
Резюме
ПСИХИЧЕСКОЕ ЗДОРОВЬЕ МОРЯКОВ:
КРАТКИЙ ОБЗОР
Роберт Т. Б. Иверсен
В работе рассматриваются
вопросы психического здоровья
моряков в двух отдельных, но
взаимосвязанных аспектах. Первый �
краткий обзор статистики и основных
причин плохого психического здоровья
многих моряков. Статистика показывает,
что уровень самоубийств моряков
намного выше, чем у населения в целом.
Причины депрессии, ведущие к
самоубийству включают одиночество,
оторванность от семей, стресс,
отсутствие увольнений на берег, тяжелая
работа и проблемы с досугом. Ротари
Клуб Мельбурн Юг (Австралия) и
Международный комитет по
социальному обеспечению моряков
(МССО) распространили буклеты по
теме депрессии для магистров и
листовки для моряков не�офицеров на
четырех языках: английском, китайском,
тагальском и русском языках. По
состоянию на 1 июня 2011 этот
материал был доставлен на борт более
1200 кораблей в пяти портах
Австралии. Проект МССО выпустил
руководство на английском языке для
поддержания психического здоровья
моряков на борту торговых судов и
охватывает стресс, притеснения и
запугивания, беспокойство, депрессию,
деструктивное мышление и поведение,
пристрастие к алкоголю и
наркотикам. Ротари Клуб запланировал
Первый международный симпозиум по
охране психического здоровья моряков,
который состоится в Гонконге или
Сингапуре в начале 2013 года.
Ключевые слова: психическое здоровье
моряков, профилактика самоубийств
Впервые поступила в редакцию 26.07.2011 г.
Рекомендована к печати на заседании
редакционной коллегии после рецензирования
Резюме
ПСИХІЧНЕ ЗДОРОВ’Я МОРЯКІВ:
КОРОТКИЙ ОГЛЯД
Роберт Т. Б. Іверсен
У роботі розглядаються питання
психічного здоров’я моряків у двох
окремих, але взаємопов’язаних
аспектах.Перший � короткий огляд
статистики і основних причин поганого
психічного здоров’я багатьох моряків.
Статистика показує, що рівень
самогубств моряків набагато вище, ніж
у населення в цілому. Причини депресії,
що ведуть до самогубства, включають
самотність, відірваність від сімей, стрес,
відсутність звільнень на берег, важка
робота і проблеми з дозвіллям. Ротарі
Клуб Мельбурн Південь (Австралія) та
Міжнародний комітет із соціального
забезпечення моряків (МССО)
розповсюдили буклети по темі депресії
для магістрів і листівки для моряків не�
офіцерів на чотирьох мовах. Станом на
1 червня 2011 цей матеріал був
доставлений на борт понад 1200
кораблів у п’яти портах Австралії. Проект
МССО випустив керівництво англійською
мовою для підтримки психічного
здоров’я моряків на борту торговельних
суден і охоплює стрес, утиски та
залякування, занепокоєння, депресію,
деструктивне мислення і поведінку,
пристрасть до алкоголю та
наркотиків. Ротарі Клуб запланував
Перший міжнародний симпозіум з
охорони психічного здоров’я моряків,
який відбудеться в Гонконзі або Сінгапурі
на початку 2013 року.
Ключові слова: здоров’я моряків,
профілактика самогубств
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