The Hikikomori Phenomenon: Could Loneliness Be a Choice of Self-Restriction from Society?
Open Access
- 1 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. in Open Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 11 (01), 47-62
- https://doi.org/10.4236/ojpsych.2021.111005
Abstract
Originated in Japan, the hikikomori phenomenon—as a form of individual withdrawal—has progressively widespread and gained international attention, given its psycho-social and economic consequences. In fact, hikikomori appears today as a problem that cannot be confined solely to the field of mental health. Rather, it appears as a phenomenon that concerns many aspects of modern society, intersecting with medicine, sociology, anthropology, politics, economics, culture and education. In the context of the actual loneliness pandemic, hikikomori individuals present characteristics that are examined in this article, together with suggestions for its possible management.Keywords
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