Hikikomori du jeune : accueillir et prendre en charge le fardeau de la famille

Abstract

Home confinement of a young person is a global problem whether or not it is associated with a psychiatric disorder. It is a maladaptive behavior that tends to repeat itself and finally involves the whole family in a shared difficulty of attachment/separation. Relieving the family burden using parental guidance could help to break the cercle vicious of guilt and shame among family members.Many studies on the features of families in hikikomori situations are cited in the article, mostly from Japanese authors. Constrained family culture, misunderstanding between the young person and his family, and dependency to parental figures are far more important today than in previous works where the poor quality of family relations were stressed. Studies about families in hikikomori situations are now beginning to emerge in non-Japanese countries, notably in Spain and Italy. It would be interesting to develop such research stream in France. This article also presents our clinical experience in responding to requests for consultations from families with a hikikomori situation, in developing a professional network via the AFHIKI association, and in animating a family exchange group about hikikomori.