Saturday, February 28, 2009
Hikikomori people shut themselves in their houses or rooms, but typical Hikikomori people aren't contented with their lives. They desire to participate in society but can't do so for some mental reason.
They are in trouble and blame themselves for not working or going to school. The most typical criticism of Hikikomori people is Hikiomori behavior is amae. But such criticism is beside the point.
Amae (Wikipedia)
New window open
Another typical criticism of Hikikomori people is Hatarakazaru mono kuu bekarazu (If you don't work, you don't eat). But many professionals say such kind of criticism have the contrary effect on overcoming Hikikomori. They blame themselves for not working over and over again.
Some people press Hikikomori people for working on the grounds of the fact that they will not be able to live when their parents, supporters of Hikikomori people, will pass away. But similarly, I think such kind of pressure is ineffective.
* * * * * * * * * *
It's difficult to understand psychology of Hikikomori people. So, many people, including parents of Hikikomori people, misunderstand Hikikomori people and have the wrong attitude toward them. The most unfortunate result is murder. Japanese media sometimes reports murder between Hikikomori people and their parents.
On the other hand, reading writings on Hikikomori, I've been surprised that many professionals understand what Hikikomori people think and feel.
Parents of Hikikomori people don't always understand psychology of Hikikomori. But professionals who are unrelated to Hikikomori people understand it. It's odd for me.
They are in trouble and blame themselves for not working or going to school. The most typical criticism of Hikikomori people is Hikiomori behavior is amae. But such criticism is beside the point.
Amae (Wikipedia)
New window open
Another typical criticism of Hikikomori people is Hatarakazaru mono kuu bekarazu (If you don't work, you don't eat). But many professionals say such kind of criticism have the contrary effect on overcoming Hikikomori. They blame themselves for not working over and over again.
Some people press Hikikomori people for working on the grounds of the fact that they will not be able to live when their parents, supporters of Hikikomori people, will pass away. But similarly, I think such kind of pressure is ineffective.
* * * * * * * * * *
It's difficult to understand psychology of Hikikomori people. So, many people, including parents of Hikikomori people, misunderstand Hikikomori people and have the wrong attitude toward them. The most unfortunate result is murder. Japanese media sometimes reports murder between Hikikomori people and their parents.
On the other hand, reading writings on Hikikomori, I've been surprised that many professionals understand what Hikikomori people think and feel.
Parents of Hikikomori people don't always understand psychology of Hikikomori. But professionals who are unrelated to Hikikomori people understand it. It's odd for me.
Monday, February 16, 2009
[Definition of Hikikomori]
As I wrote earlier, Hikikomori is, in a word, social withdrawal in youth. Please see the link below for details.
http://nhjournal37.blogspot.com/2009/02/hikikomori-social-withdrawal-in-japan.html
[Hikikomori and mental illnesses]
Hikikomori is a term that represents a condition. Not a clinical entity.
The concept and diagnosis of Hikikiomori remains controversial. In a narrow sense, people with mental illnesses are excluded from Hikikomori. In a broad sense, they are included.
Famous mental illnesses comorbid with Hikikomori are depression and schizophrenia.
According to a study, almost all Hikikomori people (78/97) who visited 5 Mental Health and Welfare Centers (a public institution for people with mental problems, including Hikikomori) were diagnosed with any mental disorders (anxiety disorders, development disorders, schizophrenia). Most of the other 19 Hikikomori people who didn't visited MHWC were also suspected to have any mental disorders(Kondo, Miyazawa, Sakai, Kiyota, Kitahata, Kuroda, Kurosawa, & Miyata, 2008).
[Population]
It is said that many young Japanese shut themselves in their homes.
Saito argued, based on his clinical experience, that there are over 1 million people who withdrawal from social interaction (Saito, 1998).
Kiyota and others argued, based on previous studies on Hikikomori, that about 1-3% people have the experience of Hikikomori (Kiyota, Usami, & Okuma, 2008).
Most surveys show that most Hikikomori people are male.
But few Hikikomori people are reported in other countries. So, it is commonly believed that Hikikomori is a unique Japanese phenomenon.
[Support organization]
Hikikomori is an object of mental health welfare policy. Mental Health and Welfare Centers, Public Health Centers, etc. are in charge of helping Hikikomori people and their parents.
Other than public institutions, there are many nonprofit organizations for Hikikomori people and their parents. Representative examples are the Hikikomori KHJ Parents Association and Sodateage Net.
[References]
Kiyota, K., Usami, M., & Okuma, H. (2008). Chiiki renkei system niyoru hikikomori shien to ekigakuteki kentou. Shisyunki no hikikomori wo motarasu seishinka shikkan no jittai haaku to seishinnigakuteki chiryou enjo system no kouchiku nikansuru kenkyu, 95-101.
Kondo, N., Miyazawa, H., Sakai, M., Kiyota, Y., Kitahata, Y., Kuroda, Y., Kurosawa, M., & Miyata, R. (2008). Shisyunki hikikomori niokeru seishinnigakuteki shougai no jittai haaku nikansuru kenkyu. Shisyunki no hikikomori wo motarasu seishinka shikkan no jittai haaku to seishinnigakuteki chiryou enjo system no kouchiku nikansuru kenkyu, 49-63.
Saito, T. (1998). Shakaiteki Hikikomori. Tokyo: PHP kenkyuujyo.
As I wrote earlier, Hikikomori is, in a word, social withdrawal in youth. Please see the link below for details.
http://nhjournal37.blogspot.com/2009/02/hikikomori-social-withdrawal-in-japan.html
[Hikikomori and mental illnesses]
Hikikomori is a term that represents a condition. Not a clinical entity.
The concept and diagnosis of Hikikiomori remains controversial. In a narrow sense, people with mental illnesses are excluded from Hikikomori. In a broad sense, they are included.
Famous mental illnesses comorbid with Hikikomori are depression and schizophrenia.
According to a study, almost all Hikikomori people (78/97) who visited 5 Mental Health and Welfare Centers (a public institution for people with mental problems, including Hikikomori) were diagnosed with any mental disorders (anxiety disorders, development disorders, schizophrenia). Most of the other 19 Hikikomori people who didn't visited MHWC were also suspected to have any mental disorders(Kondo, Miyazawa, Sakai, Kiyota, Kitahata, Kuroda, Kurosawa, & Miyata, 2008).
[Population]
It is said that many young Japanese shut themselves in their homes.
Saito argued, based on his clinical experience, that there are over 1 million people who withdrawal from social interaction (Saito, 1998).
Kiyota and others argued, based on previous studies on Hikikomori, that about 1-3% people have the experience of Hikikomori (Kiyota, Usami, & Okuma, 2008).
Most surveys show that most Hikikomori people are male.
But few Hikikomori people are reported in other countries. So, it is commonly believed that Hikikomori is a unique Japanese phenomenon.
[Support organization]
Hikikomori is an object of mental health welfare policy. Mental Health and Welfare Centers, Public Health Centers, etc. are in charge of helping Hikikomori people and their parents.
Other than public institutions, there are many nonprofit organizations for Hikikomori people and their parents. Representative examples are the Hikikomori KHJ Parents Association and Sodateage Net.
[References]
Kiyota, K., Usami, M., & Okuma, H. (2008). Chiiki renkei system niyoru hikikomori shien to ekigakuteki kentou. Shisyunki no hikikomori wo motarasu seishinka shikkan no jittai haaku to seishinnigakuteki chiryou enjo system no kouchiku nikansuru kenkyu, 95-101.
Kondo, N., Miyazawa, H., Sakai, M., Kiyota, Y., Kitahata, Y., Kuroda, Y., Kurosawa, M., & Miyata, R. (2008). Shisyunki hikikomori niokeru seishinnigakuteki shougai no jittai haaku nikansuru kenkyu. Shisyunki no hikikomori wo motarasu seishinka shikkan no jittai haaku to seishinnigakuteki chiryou enjo system no kouchiku nikansuru kenkyu, 49-63.
Saito, T. (1998). Shakaiteki Hikikomori. Tokyo: PHP kenkyuujyo.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
This blog is about Hikikomori.
In a word, Hikikomori is a Japanese term that means social withdrawal in youth. I guess almost all Japanese people know Hikikomori and view it as a social problem.
The word Hikikomori became famous in Japan when Tamaki Saito, a Japanese psychiatrist, published a book Shakaiteki Hikikomori in 1998. According to Saito's definition, Shakaiteki Hikikomori "becomes a problem by one's late 20s, and he or she keeps indoors and failing to participate in society more than 6 months, and its main cause doesn't seem to be other mental disorders."
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, defines Hikikomori. "he or she becomes less likely to participate in society due to various factors and fails to participate in the places except for his or her home, such as workplaces and schools for long periods."
I'm going to write my personal experiences (I'm also a Hikikomori) and personal thoughts about Hikikomori on this blog. And I'm also going to mention NEET (young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and school refusal. These are related to Hikikomori.
[About me]
As I wrote earlier, I'm also a Hikikomori. I'm male.
I've lived in Japan since I was born. I spend all day managing my websites, including blogs about Hikikomori (in Japanese), selective mutism, etc.
I was educated in Economics at a Japanese university.
I study English every day to read and write correctly. One purpose of writing this blog is to improve my English writing skills.
smjournal77@yahoo.co.jp
[Cookies and Web Beacons]
HSWJ (Hikikomori - Social withdrawal in Japan) uses cookies and web beacons to collect data. The use of cookies and web beacons is an industry standard.
A Cookie is a small piece of information that web sites send to your computers temporarily and later retrieve. You can configure your web browser to reject Cookies. A web beacon is a small graphic image on a web page that tracks user's behavior.
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(2) Website Tracking
HSWJ use Cookies and web beacons in the course of website tracking. HSWJ track information such as your remote host, country/language, HTTP user agent, HTTP Referer, display resolution, etc.
[About Google AdSense Cookie]
Third party vendors, including Google, use Cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to HSWJ. You can see their party vendors on this page.
Google's use of the DoubleClick Cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on your visit to HSWJ and/or other sites on the Internet.
Users may opt out of the use of the DoubleClick Cookie for interest-based advertising by visiting Ads Settings. (Alternatively, you can direct users to opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for interest based advertising by visiting aboutads.info.)
[Related websites]
NEET Hikikomori Journal (Japanese)
http://nhjournal.blog37.fc2.com/
Selective Mutism - My Memories
http://selectivemutism-mm.blogspot.com/
In a word, Hikikomori is a Japanese term that means social withdrawal in youth. I guess almost all Japanese people know Hikikomori and view it as a social problem.
The word Hikikomori became famous in Japan when Tamaki Saito, a Japanese psychiatrist, published a book Shakaiteki Hikikomori in 1998. According to Saito's definition, Shakaiteki Hikikomori "becomes a problem by one's late 20s, and he or she keeps indoors and failing to participate in society more than 6 months, and its main cause doesn't seem to be other mental disorders."
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, defines Hikikomori. "he or she becomes less likely to participate in society due to various factors and fails to participate in the places except for his or her home, such as workplaces and schools for long periods."
I'm going to write my personal experiences (I'm also a Hikikomori) and personal thoughts about Hikikomori on this blog. And I'm also going to mention NEET (young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and school refusal. These are related to Hikikomori.
[About me]
As I wrote earlier, I'm also a Hikikomori. I'm male.
I've lived in Japan since I was born. I spend all day managing my websites, including blogs about Hikikomori (in Japanese), selective mutism, etc.
I was educated in Economics at a Japanese university.
I study English every day to read and write correctly. One purpose of writing this blog is to improve my English writing skills.
smjournal77@yahoo.co.jp
[Cookies and Web Beacons]
HSWJ (Hikikomori - Social withdrawal in Japan) uses cookies and web beacons to collect data. The use of cookies and web beacons is an industry standard.
A Cookie is a small piece of information that web sites send to your computers temporarily and later retrieve. You can configure your web browser to reject Cookies. A web beacon is a small graphic image on a web page that tracks user's behavior.
HSWJ use Cookies and web beacons for:
(1) Advertisement
HSWJ use Cookies and web beacons in the course of advertisements (Google Adsense) being served on HSWJ.
(2) Website Tracking
HSWJ use Cookies and web beacons in the course of website tracking. HSWJ track information such as your remote host, country/language, HTTP user agent, HTTP Referer, display resolution, etc.
[About Google AdSense Cookie]
Third party vendors, including Google, use Cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to HSWJ. You can see their party vendors on this page.
Google's use of the DoubleClick Cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on your visit to HSWJ and/or other sites on the Internet.
Users may opt out of the use of the DoubleClick Cookie for interest-based advertising by visiting Ads Settings. (Alternatively, you can direct users to opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for interest based advertising by visiting aboutads.info.)
[Related websites]
NEET Hikikomori Journal (Japanese)
http://nhjournal.blog37.fc2.com/
Selective Mutism - My Memories
http://selectivemutism-mm.blogspot.com/
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