In Japan a government survey has found that more than 500,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 39 are currently living reclusively and rarely leave their homes. The condition, known as hikikomori, is roughly defined as when someone not going to work or socialising for six months of more.
The term was coined as early as the 1980s, but there is still no consensus on how exactly this condition is triggered. What we do know is that the number of people experiencing it has actually fallen from 700,000 in 2010, and it’s believed to affect men more than women. There are plans for a hikikomori support centre in Fukuoka, a city on the northern shore of Japan’s Kyushu island, that provides therapy to people of all ages with this condition.
Hikikomori is not exclusively linked to Japanese culture, there have been related cases in Spain, South Korea and even Italy. People live a reclusive or hermitic existence all over the world for a variety of reasons – although the data on how many exactly is patchy – and while sometimes it’s because of mental and physical illness, in other instances it’s for religious or spiritual reasons.
We want to hear from those who’ve experienced life as a recluse or hermit in Britain and other countries around the world. Why do you do it? What would help you reintegrate back into society? Do you want to? Do you ever get lonely? How do you get the necessities of daily life? Maybe you never leave your home or you have cut yourself off, living in a remote place – what impact does it have on your wellbeing? Or perhaps you are no longer reclusive? What happened to change your situation?
Share your stories with us – anonymously or otherwise – and we will use a selection of them in our reporting.
As this is a sensitive topic, please be reassured that we will not share or publish any personal details without obtaining contributors’ permission first.
