Occupational mental health has been practiced for approximately 90 years in Japan. Today, there are high expectations for psychiatrists to be aware of this topic. Some past discussions and opinions related to occupational mental health remain fully applicable today. Based on these discussions and opinions, psychiatrists concerned with occupational mental health should take a medium to long-term view of meeting the demands of the workplace. It goes without saying that cooperation between psychiatrists and occupational health staffin the practice of occupational mental health is very important,but there is also ground for controversy regarding the division of their roles. The roles that psychiatrists are demanded to fulfill in activities related to mental health differ according to factors such as the type of business,workplace size, and occupational health system in place. Psychiatrists should practices with an understanding of the perspective of occupational health.