Today, an increasing number of young people between the ages of 12 and 19 decide to withdraw from social life for long periods, locking themselves away at home, without direct contact with the outside world, sometimes not even with their parents. They thus begin to swap day for night, to abandon their studies, to neglect their friendships, until a real ‘social withdrawal syndrome’ is triggered: the Japanese term Hikikomori – which literally means ‘to stay away’ – is used in jargon to refer to those young people who live at home prisoners of themselves, their anxiety or depression. We discuss this delicate topic with Michele Miccoli, Criminal Lawyer, Full Professor of Criminal Law at the International University of Milan, National President of the Associated Italian Sociologists, author of numerous academic publications and several books including ‘Hikikomori. Il nuovo male del secolo’ (published in 2018 by Lupetti editore), in which the author highlights a phenomenon that is unfortunately spreading like wildfire and which, precisely for this reason, calls for careful reflection.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Prof. Miccoli, who are the Hikikomori?
Hikikomori is a complex juvenile psychic unease characterised by a refusal of social, scholastic or working life for a prolonged period of time, of at least 6 months, and consequently, by a lack of intimate relations with the exception of those with close relatives. The phenomenon – which in Italy alone now involves 120 thousand youngsters – is taking on worrying dimensions, even in the face of the very limited resources that our country has allocated to psychiatry in the age of development. Self-isolation is now the second most frequent cause of suicide among young people and is the first cause of self-harming acts, aimed at causing damage to one’s own body in a voluntary manner, not always necessarily for suicidal purposes. It is therefore a very serious problem which, unfortunately, has multiplied exponentially since Covid: before the pandemic, in fact, hospitalisations for self-harm accounted for about 25-30% of cases, today 65-70%. The latest data provided by the Italian Federation of Paediatricians also speak of a 75% increase in attempted suicides in the last two years. Every day in Italy an adolescent tries to take his own life. And 150 thousand young people live isolated, without any social interaction with the rest of the world. In the face of these alarming figures, requests for neuropsychiatric counselling, even in emergencies, have increased 40-fold.
How to recognise a Hikikomori? What symptoms should a parent be concerned about?
Hikikomori experience social exclusion through self-isolation. Reluctance to leave the house can be due to several causes including clinical depression, social phobia or anxiety disorders. Addiction to social networks has also been widely associated with the syndrome, as young Hikikomori end up using them as their only means of communication and interaction. Teenagers choose to drastically withdraw from real life, abandoning the natural relational circuit and devoting themselves exclusively to the virtual world. This is a world artificially created to avoid human contact even more, thus worsening the state of the pathology and giving an illusory sense of having escaped the fear of real social relationships. But there can also be other causes: bullying, overwhelm, high expectations on the part of the family. School is the first place that can help us identify the first alarm bells, as it is the place where the young person may be most exposed to bullying and social pressure. But not only that. Young people may fear disappointing their family’s high expectations and not being able to cope with social pressure and confrontation with the outside world. The sense of continual failure in failing to reach the desired standards can cause a loss of interest in life, a reversal of the sleep-wake rhythm, intense feelings of anxiety, depression, panic that lead the young person to abandon studies (despite in most cases extremely high school performance), sports, friendships, and to isolate themselves in their room, which thus becomes a safe refuge from the outside world.
How to deal with a case of Hikikomori?
Since it is a real addiction as such, it should be dealt with therapeutically, trying to catch the first signs of discomfort early, not underestimating the requests for help from children in difficulty, not experiencing this pathology as a shame or a failure of one’s own child but instead promoting moments of listening, dialogue and encouraging opportunities for relationships, especially with peers. Although having a Hikikomori child is a difficult challenge for many parents, it is advisable to seek the help of a qualified specialist who can slowly lead the child out of this dangerous vortex and reintegrate into the social fabric, in a more harmonious and less conflictual manner.
