A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori, has been frequently described in Japan and is characterized by adolescents and young adults who become recluses in their parents' homes, unable to work or go to school for months or years.
The term hikikomori was coined in Japan in the 1990s to describe young adults who had withdrawn from society and remained isolated in their homes for extended periods. Hikikomori is not recognized as a clinical diagnosis but is rather a social phenomenon that affects people of all ages.
However, thirty years down the line, Japan is facing a new dilemma—the so-called “8050 Problem.” That is, the problem of elderly parents in their 80s living with and supporting hikikomori children in their 50s.
The term hikikomori was coined in Japan in the 1990s to describe young adults who had withdrawn from society and remained isolated in their homes for extended durations. However, it is not recognised as a clinical diagnosis. Advertisement. Listen to this article.
The cause of hikikomori is not well established. Many practitioners report that patients become hikikomori after a stressful event triggers new socially avoidant behaviour that then extends into hikikomori. Some studies find that hikikomori is correlated with dysfunctional family settings or having experienced trauma.
Definition. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare defines hikikomori as a condition in which the affected individuals refuse to leave their parents' house, do not work or go to school and isolate themselves away from society and family in a single room for a period exceeding six months.
The present data suggest that hikikomori sufferers are more likely to have autistic tendency, and that hikikomori sufferers with high ASC may have much more difficulty in social communication and social interaction.
Almost 1.5 million social recluses
The survey concluded there are an estimated 1.46 million people in Japan who have withdrawn from society, about 40 percent of them women.
The condition has also been considered more common among men, and this study provides the first epidemiological evidence to back this up. Still, 20 of the 58 hikikomori were female.
A form of severe social withdrawal, called hikikomori, has been frequently described in Japan and is characterized by adolescents and young adults who become recluses in their parents' homes, unable to work or go to school for months or years.
The nationwide survey found that among 12,249 respondents, roughly 2% of people aged 15 to 64 identified as hikikomori, with a slight increase among those aged 15 to 39.
The government estimates that as many as 1.46 million working-age people in Japan are living as social recluses by refusing to interact with society. It was the first study by the Cabinet Office into the phenomenon of “hikikomori” among people aged between 15 and 64.
Hikikomori can be triggered by a variety of factors, including social anxiety, depression, academic pressure, and bullying. In Japan, an estimated 1.5 million working age people are living in isolation, a phenomenon known as hikikomori.
How do they survive? Most hikikomori come from middle-class families that can provide support for them. A large number of them continue to depend upon their parents for food and shelter.
Encourage social reintegration: Social isolation is a key feature of Hikikomori, and reintegration into social activities and relationships can be an important step in the healing process. This can be achieved through social skills training, group therapy, and other community-based programs.
A chain-smoking 43-year-old in a puffy down vest, he was one of an estimated one million or more Japanese known as hikikomori, which roughly translates as “extreme recluses.” Typically male, between the ages of 30 and 50, jobless or underemployed, they have largely withdrawn from society after Japan's extended economic ...
The authors identified a group of psychiatric disorders characterised by hikikomori-like features including psychosis, social anxiety disorder, avoidant personality disorder, depressive disorders, Internet addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Two key words for understanding social recluses are “shame” and “conflict.” Hikikomori feel a deep sense of shame that they cannot work at a job like ordinary people. They think of themselves as worthless and unqualified for happiness. Almost all feel remorse at having betrayed their parents' expectations.
Hikikomori has been defined by a Japanese expert group as having the following characteristics: (1) spending most of the time at home; (2) no interest in going to school or working; (3) persistence of withdrawal for more than 6 months; (4) exclusion of schizophrenia, mental retardation, and bipolar disorder; and (5) ...
Hikikomori is currently viewed as a sociocultural mental health phenomenon, rather than a distinct mental illness. Given at least 1.2% of the population (around a million people) are affected, hikikomori is a significant social and health problem.
“Hikikomori is Uniquely Japanese”
Similarly, there have been hikikomori case studies from several countries outside Japan including, Spain, Oman, the United States, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Borrowed from Japanese 引きこもり (literally “pulling inward, being confined”) and is often translated as “acute social withdrawal” or shut-in.
The term “autism” was translated as “jiheisho” in Japanese. The term “jiheisho”sounds terrible connotation in Japanese language, as the word may bring connotation of never curable, never speaking, never communicable and so on.
Listen to the person without judgement and encourage them to take support from experts. Individual support: This includes support from doctors and other healthcare practitioners who can help the person deal with the condition. Assessment of triggers and therapy: This may include individual and/or group therapy.