This post contains Hikikomori test to help you assess if Hikikomori syndrome is a problem for you.
What Is Hikikomori?
Hikikomori is an almost complete withdrawal from social interaction that was first seen in Japan, but is becoming a psychological syndrome worldwide.
The term social withdrawal, or shakaiteki hikikomori, as it is translated into Japanese, is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), used by mental health professionals.
Instead, it’s viewed as a distinct phenomenon or syndrome.
Hikikomori Test
The following questions represent common signs of Hikikomori as by a Japanese expert group (*):
#1. Are you spending most of the time at home?
#2. Do you feel no interest in going to school or work?
#3. Do you have no close relationships (e.g., friendships)?
#4. Have you been in withdrawal for more than 6 months?
#5. Do you often experience strong fear of other people that has been exacerbated by the state of withdrawal?
#6. Do you often experience violent outbursts or find yourself constantly irritated?
#7. Do you often experience insomnia or a tendency to stay up at night and sleep during the day?
#8. Are you experiencing regression or “reversion to childhood” where you find yourself relying on others?
#9. Do you often experience feelings of depression and despair?
We will not sell your information. All results are kept confidential.
This quiz is for informational purposes only. It is not meant as a diagnostic or assessment tool.
Results
The questions above represent common signs of Hikikomori syndrome as defined by experts. If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you may be experiencing Hikikomori syndrome.
FREE Hikikomori Worksheets
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Resources
- Portions of this article were adapted from the book Hikikomori: Adolescence Without End, © 2013 by Tamaki Saitō. All rights reserved.
- Frontiers | Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) Conditions in China: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey (frontiersin.org)
- Frontiers | Family Features of Social Withdrawal Syndrome (Hikikomori) (frontiersin.org)
- Social Withdrawal and Mental Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach | IntechOpen
- Social Withdrawal in Childhood – PMC (nih.gov)
- Social withdrawal in major depressive disorder: a case-control study of hikikomori in japan – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Social Withdrawal – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
- Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women | PNAS
- A Prospective Study of Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Mortality in Finland – PMC (nih.gov)
- The risks of social isolation (apa.org)
- Frontiers | Hikikomori Is Most Associated With Interpersonal Relationships, Followed by Suicide Risks: A Secondary Analysis of a National Cross-Sectional Study (frontiersin.org)
- Hikikomori, A Japanese Culture-Bound Syndrome of Social Withdrawal? A Proposal for DSM-V – PMC (nih.gov)
