BUS: social withdrawal syndrome (hikikomori)

I. Issue and reason

Our issue is social withdrawal. This means people who stay inside for a long time. We are concerned because we sometimes want to stay inside and don’t want to see anyone else. Do you feel that way sometimes too? Still, you are not hikikomori because “social withdrawal” is defined as people who stay inside for more than six months. Statistics show that there are one million people suffering from social withdrawal syndrome in Japan.

II. Causes

We think there are three causes for this problem

1) The first cause is social factors. For example, when people are bullied, they don’t want to go to school or to the office. That’s why they tend to stay inside.

2) The second cause is psychological factors. Once people fall into depression or have panic attacks, they always live in fear, so they can’t meet anyone.

3) A final cause is biological factors, such as a birth defect, learning disability, and so on. Many people don’t understand such problems, so they can’t help staying inside.

Social withdrawal syndrome is not so simple to understand. These three causes are connected with each other. That’s why recovery is so difficult.

III. Solutions

1) One way to solve this problem is support from their parents. To help them, their parents have to understand this problem well and change the circumstances of the family. When they come to communicate with their parents, they will accept their advice, such as having a part-time job. This can be a step towards making a commitment to fully joining society.

2) Another solution is a hard measure or a kind of tough love. This project’s name is “going to paradise.” What image do you have of this? First, someone (such as their parents), gives them a sleeping pill and takes them on an airplane to another country, a resort, etc. When they wake up and see the beautiful scene, it makes them surprised and touched. Finally, they want to stay or live there, so they start working to save money for that. As a result, they can achieve a full return to society. In order to carry out this project, we need cooperation from the government, doctors, etc.