It is Saturday afternoon and a dozen or so men and women are gathered in a nondescript room in central Tokyo, working intently on a presentation that will have a bearing on their future careers. They do not work for the same organisation and the exercise is not directly related to their jobs. But the session is part of a programme run by MDA Japan, a non-profit organisation that supports people with mood disorders, and the participants are here to achieve a common goal – to return to work after suffering from depression.
一個週六的下午,十來個男女聚集在東京市中心一個普通的房間裏,專心致志地講述著事關他們未來職業生涯的問題。他們不屬於同一家機構,這項活動與他們的工作也沒有直接關係。這次聚會是爲患有情緒障礙症者提供支持的非營利組織MDA Japan運作的一個項目的環節。項目參與者懷著一個共同的目標:在經受抑鬱症折磨之後,能夠重新回到工作崗位上。