Hikikomori syndrome is a disorder that is characterized by an asocial and avoidant behavior of those who suffer from it, which usually leads to abandoning community life.
The excessive use of technological devices such as tablets, notebooks, cell phones, video games and TV are harmful to mental health and can lead to different psychological disorders. Generally, young people are the most affected, since in the absence of control and limits, in some cases, they spend hours and hours in front of the screens.
It may interest you: 76-year-old woman created her own self-sufficient garden in Brazil
What is Hikikomori Syndrome?
It is a disorder that is characterized by an asocial and avoidant behavior by the person who suffers from it, which usually leads to abandoning community life. It is increasingly common among young people and adolescents who decide to isolate themselves with screens and who avoid interacting with others, that is, contact with the outside world.
This problem led the Japanese authorities to restrict the number of hours per day that boys can spend on video games and technology. Then it has spread to countries like Italy, France, Spain and the United States.
Hikikomori is a mental health disorder that leads those affected to withdraw and abandon social life, falling into extreme isolation. Although it usually affects men more, it can also occur in older people and women.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
The causes of this isolation can be multiple: personal or family problems, anxiety and social phobia, shyness, bullying and depression. Faced with the increase in cases of children with mental disorders, Japan restricted the use of video games.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
A study carried out by doctors from the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions of the Hospital del Mar, in Spain, found that this pathology is not only linked to Japanese culture, but that it is increasingly present in Europe. During the study, cases with an isolation period of 39.3 months were evaluated, with 30 years being the longest and, in most cases, an associated mental disorder was observed.
“The creation in Barcelona of a home care service for people with severe mental disorders has brought to light the true dimension of this syndrome”said Víctor Pérez Solá, director of the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions at Hospital del Mar and responsible for the study.
The study showed that 73.8% of those affected were young males, with an average age of 36 years, while the women who experienced this syndrome had an average age of over 51 years.
Another article to read: Woman created a reserve for snow leopards and saved them from extinction
They also found that the majority of people who were isolated for more than 4 years had a psychotic disorder, showing that people with severe mental disorders are more prone to self-isolation.
Symptoms and treatment of the syndrome
- Social isolation: staying most of the time at home and in your room or even locking yourself inside it.
- Refusal to attend any work, academic or social activity.
- Low self-esteem and depressed personality.
- Insomnia and altered schedules: what makes them more active at night.
- Abandonment of personal care and healthy habits such as exercising or eating healthy.
The specialist Pérez Solá, who is a Medical Specialist in Psychiatry, pointed out that the treatment of this syndrome is lto psychological therapy, together with the support and containment of the patient’s family environment.
Source: TN.