RESUMO
We report three cases of depression, which were effectively treated with oriental medicine. All three patients were employees at the same workplace, which had a total of 17 employees. Case 1 was a 46-year-old, who had worked at the company for 20 years and complained of depression and insomnia. Case 2 was a 28-year-old woman, who had worked at the company for 9 years and complained of nausea and mood disturbance. Case 3 was a 41-year-old man, who had worked at the company for 15 years and complained of restlessness, insomnia, and depression. The three patients were treated with yokukansan and yokukansankachimpihange, which are Kampo formulations, and subsequently showed improvements in symptoms. In choosing prescriptions for these patients, we considered the fact that all three patients worked in the same workplace. Yokukansan is traditionally co-administered to mother and her child. Furthermore, Hoffman (1984) proposed the system of sharing emotional contagion in the field of neuropsychiatry. When considered holistically, medication shared by mother and child is an empirical treatment taking into account emotional contagion. This treatment is also considered applicable within a single community, such as the one in the same workplace. Shared medication that takes into account emotional contagion within the same workplace, could be useful as it was for our patients.