# Help and Advice > Related Illness/medication/alternatives >  "acute social withdrawal" *TRIGGERS*

## purplefan

I have become very interested in a condition in Japan that normally affects late teens or young adults
 and it is called "Hikikomori" It literally means "pulling inward, being confined. Modern day hermits. I think it is related to depression.
I realized while watching the documentary that i had similar feelings when i had to retire. I shut myself off from EVERYONE! 
I had it for about two years and it struck me that while watching the documentary that other people might have suffered from it without realizing it. 
Anyway, i would recommend you watch it as it is interesting.

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## Paula

Absolutely! That's my default position. And my dads ....

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## Suzi

I recognise a lot of that too..

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## purplefan

I think the latest figures from Japan is that 2% of Japanese male under 23 now have this condition and it is rising. It must be in other countries. It is because people just cant cope for what ever reason and shut away. I wonder if the internet is to play in this because it is a lot easier to shut yourself away when your on line.

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## Paula

I don't know about others but my first shutting away was when I was 16, in 1990. Pre Internet

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## purplefan

How long did it last for paula?

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## Suzi

I've shut myself away on occasions too - I think  we all do...

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## Paula

> How long did it last for paula?


All my life ...... but I fight against it as much as I can

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## purplefan

It is difficult. I was watching another film and really felt for the young man who could not relate to his parents at all. Can i ask if there was a starting point to it? I know you suffer from a lot of pain so i am guessing that had something to do with it. These young men dont have anything worng with them. They just shut themselves away.

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## Suzi

I think we all do it to some extent. I know I did when I was at secondary school. I couldn't marry up the "me" I was expected to be at home, the "me" I had to become to survive through school, the "me" I had to be when I was working in each of the pubs I did and the "me" I was when I was with my "home friends".... I just couldn't cope and shut myself away with Puccini, Miss Saigon, Mozart and school books....

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## Jaquaia

I've always shut myself away, I don't really know any other way. I just don't feel completely comfortable around people unless I've known them a long time.

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## Paula

Pf, my pain is recent. It's my social anxiety that causes the problem. And it's even worse because naturally I'm a people person but his illness just strips away who I really am

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## purplefan

I wonder if it is a part of modern life? In the 1980s when we had the rise of the yuppy, there was a lot of illnesses connected with that way of working and it was just a burn out from working too hard. 
I wonder if we expect too much from ourselves and feel bad when we dont achieve things we planned so just withdraw.  Life is too stressful and i know i find it hard coping with day to day things and the hobbies i have and enjoy are ones that involve spending time on your own. Modeling and writing. The film really has left an impact on me and i feel so sad for the way this condition effects people.

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## Paula

In my case, not. My Drs are confident my MH is genetic. And I'm not sure yuppies were responsible for triggering everything for me at aged 16  :O: .

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## OldMike

I've shut myself away from people most of my life it is only the last couple of years I've started going out.

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## purplefan

It is becoming more and more a modern phenomenon.

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## purplefan

> In my case, not. My Drs are confident my MH is genetic. And I'm not sure yuppies were responsible for triggering everything for me at aged 16 .


WHat i meant paula was that a lot of illness became related to Yuppies. Especially cronic fatigue and the 
high stress levels.

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## Paula

I think it's more to do with people admitting to struggling and Drs actually listening. Think of laudanum being given to high society women who suffered with their 'nerves' or all those people in he 50s addicted to the 'little yellow pill'. It's always been there, just hidden

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Angie (28-06-17),purplefan (29-06-17)

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## Suzi

And actually a breakdown of society which has left people trying to cope on their own for too long...

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## purplefan

I can see your point paula. Men are beginning to open up more about their Mental health and it is not such a stigma anymore but there needs to be more doing to make the younger adults more aware of their feelings. I am sure the bar manager who was mentioned in that film did not have any inclining that something might be wrong. It just appeared suddenly.

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## Iam

Fascinating documentary, I have been shutting myself away for the past several years only going out to work then not leaving the house or talking to anyone. I don't think it would be possible for anyone to shut themselves away entirely and for such long periods in our culture (at least i hope not) possibly because we don't have that family nucleus. I certainly don't think it is an exclusively Japanese phenomenon.

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## purplefan

Was there something that triggered you isolation iam? I spent two years on my own only talking to the delivery men saying thank you.

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