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Hikikomori, a condition of extreme social isolation, is more widespread than previously recognized, and it deserves a clear and consistent definition to improve treatment around the globe, reports a new study.
Hikikomori Population; People Who Stay Indoors for Years
Social anxiety disorders have become a common phenomenon worldwide, but a sociocultural variant of extreme social isolation called Hikikomori is becoming increasingly widespread among Japan’s youth.
Social anxiety disorders have become a common phenomenon worldwide, but a sociocultural variant of extreme social isolation called Hikikomori is becoming increasingly widespread among Japan’s youth.
TOP INSIGHT
Hikikomori is a form of pathological social withdrawal or social isolation whose essential feature is physical isolation in one's home.
- Confined at home: The proposed definition clarifies the frequency of time spent outside the home, while still meeting the definition of "marked social isolation."
- Avoiding people: Some people choose to avoid social situations and interaction not because they're anxious but because it meets their comfort level. The newly suggested definition, therefore, removes the avoidance of social situations as criteria.
- Better defining distress: Many people diagnosed with a hikikomori report that they feel content in their social withdrawal. However, as the duration of social withdrawal gets longer, their distress and feelings of loneliness increases.
- Other disorders: Co-occurring mental health conditions such as depression should not exclude patients from also being assessed for and diagnosed with hikikomori. "In our view, the frequency of co-occurring conditions increases the importance of addressing social withdrawal as a health issue," they write.
Senior author Alan Teo, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry in Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine and a researcher and psychiatrist in the VA Portland Health Care System, said the medical profession hasn't traditionally recognized social isolation as a health issue.
"There is a cultural issue within the house of medicine whereby we don't pay attention to it and don't think it is in our lane to deal with," he said. "These are shared problems, whether it's an 80-year-old Portlander who's a meals-on-wheels recipient living by herself or an 18-year-old with hikikomori in Japan."
Social Anxiety Disorder | Social Phobia - Causes, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Complications, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Social anxiety disorder is a common mental health problem where a person is abnormally fearful of social situations, sometimes severe enough to affect daily life.
Social anxiety disorder is a common mental health problem where a person is abnormally fearful of social situations, sometimes severe enough to affect daily life.
"With advances in digital and communications technologies that provide alternatives to in-person social interaction, hikikomori may become an increasingly relevant concern," the authors write.
Interaction With Nature Good for the Overall Well Being of Elders
Natural environments enable elderly people to uphold daily structure in retirement and provide opportunities for diverse activities outside the home.
Natural environments enable elderly people to uphold daily structure in retirement and provide opportunities for diverse activities outside the home.
"Your social life is critical to your quality of life - yet in health care, we often forget to think about that," Teo said. "A person's day-to-day social life is really what brings them meaning and value."
Keeping Loneliness at Bay
Lonliness can be best dealt with by changing how a person perceives and thinks about others, and this, in turn reduces the accompanying risk factors of heart disease and other problems.
Lonliness can be best dealt with by changing how a person perceives and thinks about others, and this, in turn reduces the accompanying risk factors of heart disease and other problems.
Source-Eurekalert
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