Hikikomori: young people permanently locked in their room

If a person is voluntarily confined at home and does not have any type of work, academic or social activity for at least six months, he may be suffering from the Hikikomori syndrome.

What is Hikikomori Syndrome?

The term Hikikomori was coined by the psychiatrist Tamaki Saito, in the year 2000 and means turning away, be confined. 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 friendships and with a perception of the outside world as something violent that constantly attacks them. To all these precedents can be added bad relationships within the family. There is a higher incidence in men.

Their life unfolds in a room they don't come out of, taking refuge normally in a virtual world, surrounded by 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 It is gradual and begins when they begin to seclude themselves in their room for longer and longer, such as 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 dayThey eat in the afternoon and spend the night playing videogames or watching television. They also neglect their hygiene and do not communicate even with their relatives. Some, frighten their parents and have aggressive behaviors; others are overwhelmed by sadness, obsession, anxiety and depression triggered by the confinement, reaching suicide in some cases.

Although this phenomenon comes from Japan and is associated with the demanding, competitive and individualistic Japanese culture, little by little little has been spreading like a pandemic to the rest of the world, although with different characteristics according to 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 due to the desire to be alone and a feeling of apathy towards the outside world coupled with the fear of leaving his protective environment, his little bubble of security.

Hikikomori types

Although all Hikikomori cases have isolation in common, they do not all do it 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 college or university, but avoiding any type of social relationship.

The Hikikomori social, who rejects work and studies, maintains some social relationships, even through the internet. On the other hand, the Tachisukumi-cat has a very marked social phobia and feels paralyzed by fear.

Finally, there would be the case ofl Netogehaijin, literally translated as ‘’ computer zombie ’’ which are totally confined people who dedicate all the hours of the day that they stay awake using the computer or other virtual means that have their scope.

Causes of Hikikomori

It seems impossible for a young person to be able to confine himself for months or even years within four walls without wanting to have any kind of relationship with the world, right?

The causes that are believed to trigger this disorder are currently mere hypotheses. Some think it's 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 by them) and socioeconomics: social in terms of pressure from society towards conformity and uniformity and rejection of what is different (this happens in a very marked way in society Japan), and economic in relation to the parents' work schedules, which prevents them from spending time with their children and makes it impossible to communicate properly family.

However, looking for a single cause for a social phenomenon like this would be a mistake, since it is most likely multidetermined.

Hikikomori symptoms

The main symptoms that could herald isolation are:

• Refusal to attend school due to bullying on many occasions

• Total loss of friends or heartbreak

• Poor basic social skills

• Low self-esteem

• Depressive personality

• 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 with 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 in people

Voluntary confinement for months or years can have 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 for staying too long without moving, etc.

TO psychological level, the absence of contact can make the young person almost completely lose his social skills of her to relate to his peers, while experiencing constant feelings of insecurity and guilt, which reinforces their behavior of staying locked up.

Treatment for Hikikomori

A standard treatment to tackle this problem has not yet been established, due to the fact that it is a relatively new disorder and the confrontation between the Eastern and Western approaches.

In Japan, where this social disorder originated, it is advocated that the affected person leave their isolation by their own means and progressively, without putting pressure on them and trying to make them enter reason. In contrast, in Western countries, experts recommend a firmer stance and tackling the problem at its roots, forcing the young Hikikomori out of his room.

In the West more specifically, we can point out two great 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. His focus is on reorganizing the family relationship with the patient, promoting communication strategies, so that parents are also involved in 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 remove the young adolescent from home, later accommodating him in a community with other boys and girls who suffer from the same problems, 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.

Differential diagnosis of Hikikomori

Due to its wide symptoms, currently poorly defined, this disorder can often be confused with others of the type Agoraphobia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, syndrome ofDiogenes, etc. For example, Hikikomori differs from agoraphobia in that, within their protected environment, they can lead a normalized life. Receive visits, make phone calls, etc. An agoraphobic isolates himself out of fear, although he wishes to be able to form part of society and go abroad, while the hikikomori rejects that option and voluntarily secludes himself.

Research carried out by (2002) suggests that compulsive behaviors typical of OCD or other Typical behaviors of the aforementioned disorders are nothing more than side effects of the Hikikomori. Therefore, it suggests that the differential diagnosis of Hikikomori versus depression, OCD, schizophrenia or other obsessive disorders together to early detection are essential for the speedy recovery of the person, 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 environment and personal. They are normal people in a highly conflictive situation

The syndrome arrives in Spain

In a 2016 article, the psychologist Jonathan Garcia-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.