Hikikomori
Hikikomori is a Japanese term describing a social phenomenon where individuals, primarily young men, withdraw from social life and isolate themselves in their rooms for extended periods, often for six months or more. This condition is characterized by the cessation of school or work attendance and is typically supported by family members, most commonly parents. The onset of hikikomori is often influenced by societal pressures, including expectations for academic and professional excellence, along with experiences of bullying and rejection. While not classified as a medical diagnosis, hikikomori is recognized as a complex interplay of mental health issues and cultural context, particularly within Japan.
Experts estimate that between 500,000 and 2 million individuals in Japan experience hikikomori, with the majority being males aged 14 to 39. The retreat into isolation is generally gradual and can be triggered by seemingly minor incidents that feel overwhelming to the individual. Though those affected may wish to reintegrate into society, many struggle with anxiety about facing potential failures or social interactions. Various interventions, including counseling and support services, have emerged to address this issue, offering paths toward recovery. The hikikomori phenomenon raises concerns not only for the individuals involved but also for societal implications, as those in isolation contribute little to the economy and may face challenges as their caregivers age.
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Hikikomori
Hikikomori is a Japanese word for a social problem in which hundreds of thousands of Japanese, mainly young men, withdraw to their rooms and do not socialize outside of their homes. These people stop attending school or work, and are generally cared for by their parents. Social and parental pressure to perform, rejection, failure, and bullying are thought to be some of the reasons a person becomes hikikomori. Experts increasingly consider the condition to be a combination of mental health concerns and societal influences. While some individuals recover from the condition on their own, most need some form of intervention to help start the recovery process, and a significant number will never recover.
Background
The earliest cases of what became known as hikikomori were reported in 1978, when Japanese physician Yoshimi Kasahara described a few instances of taikyaku shinkeishou, or withdrawal neurosis. In the 1980s, Japanese psychiatrist Tamaki Saito applied the term hikikomori, or "withdrawn" to what he referred to as a family and social condition. Hikikomori refers to both the condition and the people who suffer from it. It is not a medical diagnosis but rather a description of a social condition, and there are no specified plans or medications to treat it. People are considered hikikomori when they have retreated for at least six months and have no other psychiatric explanation for their behavior.
While the condition can affect nearly anyone and has been found in other areas, it is most prevalent in Japanese males between the ages of fourteen to thirty-nine. However, there have been cases of men in their fifties who remain secluded in their rooms. Some young females have also developed the condition. Japanese officials and medical professionals estimate that anywhere between five hundred thousand and two million Japanese males are hikikomori, with most estimates landing in the seven hundred thousand to one million range. Determining the numbers can be difficult, experts say, because of the reclusive nature of hikikomori and the great social stigma associated with it that prevents the individuals or their families from reporting the condition. Female hikikomori numbers are even harder to determine.
Experts attribute the development of hikikomori to unique conditions in Japanese culture and the country's economy. Most Japanese parents hold expectations of excellence for their children and often predetermine what they want their children to do in their academic and professional careers. This is especially true of the firstborn sons, who tend to make up the majority of hikikomori.
However, when the Japanese economy took a downturn in the 1980s and 1990s, many young men were unable to fulfil their parents' expectations. Thwarted and frustrated, some began retreating to their rooms. Japanese culture helped with this because it is not uncommon for young men to remain in their parents' homes well into adulthood. This made it possible for individuals to retreat and easier to hide their reclusiveness from others.
Hiding the condition is deemed as necessary because the Japanese culture also includes strong cultural disapproval for mental health conditions. People experiencing mental health issues in the country are generally expected to tough it out and manage without outside help. As a result of this stigma, many individuals have withdrawn into their own homes for a year or more before their parents or others seek any help with the situation.
Overview
Experts say hikikomori generally spend their time alone in their rooms, watching television, playing video games, listening to music, or reading comic books. Many will seldom come out of their rooms to eat or socialize, surviving on whatever food their parents bring to their door or what they can find after everyone else has gone to bed. They often lead upside down lives, sleeping during the day and staying awake all night. Those who do not get fed by their parents will sometimes leave their rooms at night and go to all-night convenience stores to get food, while others will order food and other necessities through the internet. Some will occasionally venture out into public to purchase new video games, music, or comic books.
In most cases, the retreat into hikikomori comes on gradually. Many of those who have the condition were either subject to great pressure to perform or were bullied and picked on when they were attending school. They spend more and more time in their rooms until something happens to make them feel they cannot leave. This can be a particularly bad instance of bullying, failing a test, or not being chosen for a desired job. In many cases, the triggering events are not catastrophic in the overall scheme of things but seem overwhelming to the hikikomori.
While hikikomori do not work or attend school and do little or nothing to help with their own self-care, experts say the condition is not a matter of laziness. Instead, it is a coping disorder in which the individuals find themselves unable to face the challenges and pressures outside their rooms. Many hikikomori would like to resume attending school, get a job, make friends, and find a romantic partner, but they are often unable to overcome the fear of suffering another failure or experience like the ones that drove them into isolation.
The parents of hikikomori sometimes make the situation worse by either applying extensive pressure to change or by enabling the behavior. Experts say this often occurs when parents feel it is some failure on their part that caused their offspring to become reclusive.
An industry of counseling and intervention services has arisen in Japan to deal with the condition. At one time, parents could hire an intervention team to come into their child's room and take him or her away to a dormitory for forced treatment. Now, however, the interventions are gentler. Parents can hire a "rental sister" or "rental brother" who visits regularly and talks to the hikikomori, through the closed door if necessary, to gain trust and encourage the hikikomori to come to one of a number of centers where they can socialize with others like themselves and begin the path to recovery. There are also instances of hikikomori spontaneously deciding they have had enough, and they begin to rejoin their friends and classmates or seek a job.
The hikikomori problem is a significant one for the Japanese. Those suffering from the condition are not contributing to the economy, the tax base, or the country's social programs. There is also concern about what will happen as parents housing hikikomori age and die, leaving their offspring with no income or home.
Bibliography
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