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Causes and Effects of Hikikomori
Hikikomori, literally "pull away and confine" is a form of social isolationism characterized by a refusal to venture outside of ones room or domicile. It differs from agorophobia in that the reason for staying indoors tends to be a desire to be left alone-an apathy toward the outside world rather than a fear of it. The term was coined by Dr. Tamaki Saito, a psychiatrist who estimates there are 1.2 million hikikomori sufferers in Japan.
Effects of hikikomori include acute social withdrawl and inability or unwillingness to interact with others. Hikikomori suffers are generally male adolescence, and tend to immerse themselves in alternate "realities" such as computer games, the Internet, manga (comic books), and anime (animation). For this reason, a popular though somewhat incorrect assumption is that sufferers of hikkomori tend to be otaku, or "nerds" who spurn social interaction in favor of entertainment media.
Factors attributable to hikikomori fall into two general catagories; familial and socio-economic.
Familial factors contributing to hikikomori
The traditional Japanese familal structure has been seen as one of the causes of hikikomori. As it is common for children to live with their parent’s indefinitely graduating from college, getting married, and even raising families of their own under their parent’s roofs, there is no pressure for adolescents to leave and find residences of their own.
While the assumption is that children who live with their parents will contribute to the family and have careers of their own, a growing number of Japanese adolescents elect to stay home and do nothing. When parents are overly doting or choose not to stem developing antisocial behaviour an adolescent can withdraw to such an extent that they no longer leave the household at all. Conversely, with fewer children being born into Japanese families (Japans population fell by 19,000 in 2004) parents may concentrate the pressure to succeed onto a single child, usually the firstborn son, until that child has been pushed so far that they suffer a psychological breakdown and withdraw from society entirely. Compounding this problem, is the fact that hikikomori is considered a sensitive and even shameful topic: as such, parents may elect to allow the antisocial behavior to continue rather than intervene or seek outside help.
Socioeconomic Factors Contributing to Hikikomori
Adolescents and adults alike are exposed to factors outside of the family unit that have been identified as triggers for hikikomori. These factors fall into two basic categories; social and economic.
The social factors
For adolescents, the pressure to conform in a society that demands uniformity (the Japanese word for ‘different’ also means ‘wrong’) can prove so great that, unable to cope, they elect to withdraw from society altogether. In other cases, the cause for hikikomori lies in the intense pressure to succeed in school. Educational institutions in Japan are highly-competitive and acceptance is dependent upon the passing of an entrance exam. As such, children as young as 12-years-old are often made to attend juku, the so-called "cram schools" that offer supplementary education on weekends and following regular school hours.
The Economic factors
Less than 10 years ago, karōshi, or "death from overwork" was a growing concern for adults in Japan's intensely competitive workplace. Traditionally, the Japanese male would forsake himself and his family for the sake of the company. Recent years, however, have seen a trend toward first datsuzara ("abandonment of the office-worker lifestyle") and then hikikomori, as the adult employee, unable to shoulder the crushing workload has chosen to retreat into his household. For other adults, the move to hikikomori has been attributed to factors, such as depression over Japan's decade long recession and the current state of the job market.
Treatment
Since hikikomori first entered the media lexicon in 1998 a number of clinics and support services have emerged to help treat sufferers. Generally, treatment follows one of two philosophies: socialization or psychological methods.
Socialization method. The socialization method encourages social reintegration by removing hikikomori sufferers from their home enviroment, and having them interact in carefully selected groups, usually made up of other recovering sufferers.
Psychological method. The psychological method stresses the need for counciling to help the hikikomori sufferer overcome their illness. Some stress the need to remove sufferers from their home, and place them in a hospital environment, while others espouse less invasive means that can be done without sufferers having to leave the house, such as online counseling.