Hikikomori: Young People Permanently Locked In Their Room
If a person voluntarily secludes themselves at home and does not have any type of work, academic or social activity for at least six months, they may be suffering from Hikikomori syndrome.
The term Hikikomori was coined by the psychiatrist Tamaki Saito in the year 2000 and means moving away, be secluded. It is defined as a voluntary form of social isolation or self-seclusion, due to both personal and social factors. It mainly affects young adolescents Already sensitive, shy, introverted, with few friendly relationships and with a perception of the outside world as something violent that constantly attacks them. Bad relationships within the family can be added to all these precedents. There is a higher incidence in men.
Their life takes place in a room from which they do not leave, usually taking refuge in a virtual world surrounded by video game consoles and the Internet, although recent studies have shown that only 10% of those who suffer from this pathology use the Internet to interact with other people.
Social isolation
This process of isolation is gradual and begins when they begin to seclude themselves in their room for longer and longer periods of time, as if absorbed by the Internet, they stop calling and meeting their few friends and begin to neglect their studies. This is where this kind ofsocial suicide.
They do everything without leaving home, even altering their daily rhythms: they sleep during the day they eat in the afternoon and spend the night playing video games or watching television. They also neglect their hygiene and do not even communicate with their families. Some frighten their parents and have aggressive behavior; Others are overwhelmed by sadness, obsession, anxiety and depression triggered by confinement, leading to suicide in some cases.
Although this phenomenon comes from Japan and is associated with the demanding, competitive and individualistic Japanese culture, little by little it has been spreading like a pandemic to the rest of the world, although with different characteristics depending on each society. In Spain, this syndrome, also known as ”closed door”, has already accumulated more than 200 cases in recent years. In Japan, those affected number in the millions.
The reason for not leaving home is to the desire to be alone and a feeling of apathy towards the outside world combined with the fear of leaving their protective environment, their small bubble of safety.
Types of Hikikomori
Although all cases of Hikikomori have isolation in common, not all of them carry it out in the same way or to the same degree. For example, the junhikikomori or pre-hikikomori He goes out from time to time or attends school or university, but avoiding any type of social relationship.
He social hikikomori who rejects work and studies, maintains some social relationships, even if it is through the Internet. On the other hand, the Tachisukumi-gata has a very marked social phobia and feels paralyzed by fear.
Finally, there would be the case ofl Netogehaijin literally translated as ”computer zombies”, who are totally secluded people who spend every waking hour of the day using the computer or other virtual media at their disposal.
Causes of Hikikomori
It seems impossible for a young person to be able to confine themselves for months or even years within four walls without wanting to have any type of relationship with the world, right?
The causes that are believed to trigger this disorder are currently mere hypotheses. Some think it is the technology and the virtual world in which young people live surrounded, losing contact with reality.
Others, however, point towards family factors (excessive pressure from parents for their child to succeed in life and little communication in the family for them) and socioeconomic s: social in terms of pressure from society towards conformism and uniformity and rejection of what is different (this happens very markedly in Japanese society), and economic in relation to parents’ work schedules, which It prevents you from spending time with your children and makes proper family communication impossible.
However, looking for a single cause for a social phenomenon like this would be a mistake, since it is most likely multi-determined.
The main symptoms that could announce isolation are:
Excessive dependence on family relationships
Insomnia or alteration of daily rhythms (they sleep during the day and remain active at night)
Family pressure to fulfill their role in society (study, look for work) and to fulfill the expectations or plans that their parents have for them
Little or no tolerance for frustration
Etc.
Effects of Hikikomori on people
Voluntary confinement for months or years can cause significant health effects, both physical and mental.
TO physical level The body suffers the effects of not doing any type of physical exercise or eating a balanced diet such as anemia, joint fragility, sores by lying for too long without moving, etc.
TO psychological level the absence of contact can make the young person almost completely lose their social skills to relate to their peers, while experiencing constant feelings of insecurity and guilt which reinforces their behavior of remaining locked up.
Treatment for Hikikomori
A standard treatment has not yet been established to address this problem, due to the fact that it is a relatively new disorder and the clash between Eastern and Western approaches.
In Japan, where this social disorder originated, it is advocated that the affected person emerge from their isolation by their own means and progressively, without pressuring them and trying to make them see reason. On the contrary, in Western countries, experts recommend a firmer stance and attacking the problem at its roots, forcing the young Hikikomori to leave his room.
In the West more specifically, we can point out two major approaches in terms of therapies:
1. The medical-psychiatric method
This type of treatment treats the problem as a mental or behavioral disorder that requires recovery in hospital and the use of drugs. Its approach focuses on reorganizing the family relationship with the patient, promoting communication strategies, so that parents are also involved in the therapy. When the young person is recovered enough to go to the clinic on their own, they begin to work with psychotherapy sessions.
2. The psychosocial method
This method highlights the need for psychological support to help the Hikikomori victim come out of his confinement. It is usually decided to take the young adolescent away from home, subsequently placing him or her in a community with other boys and girls who suffer from the same problem, to promote coexistence, human contact, re-learn social and communication skills, etc. All this through activities that are attractive to them and that they can share as a group. It seems that self-help groups have become a key element in achieving the social reintegration of those affected.
Due to its broad symptomatology, currently poorly defined, this disorder can often be confused with others such as Agoraphobia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, syndromeDiogenes etc. To give an example, Hikikomori differs from agoraphobia in that, within their protected environment, they can lead a normal life. Receive visitors, make phone calls, etc. An agoraphobic isolates himself out of fear, although he wishes to be part of society and go outside, while the hikikomori rejects that option and voluntarily secludes himself.
Research carried out by (2002) suggests that the compulsive behaviors of OCD or other typical behaviors of the aforementioned disorders are nothing more than side effects of Hikikomori. Therefore, it suggests that the differential diagnosis of Hikikomori compared to depression, OCD, schizophrenia or other obsessive disorders, together with early detection, are essential for the person’s speedy recovery, since those affected by Hikikomori do not suffer from a disorder. per se. In most cases, their behaviors can be explained in a logical way by the life they lead, the impact that society has on them, the culture in which they are immersed and their family and personal environment. They are normal people in a highly conflictive situation.
The syndrome reaches Spain
In a 2016 article, psychologist Jonathan GarcÃa-Allen echoed the increase in cases registered in Spain. Thus, it seems that this disorder may be beginning to be a global phenomenon.
“Hikikomori cases increase in Spain”
Documentary about Hikikomori
This documentary can help you better understand the Hikikomori phenomenon.
