The health ministry has compiled a booklet offering advice on dealing with social withdrawal, ministry officials said Wednesday. The advice is aimed at individuals who are exhibiting behavior of this kind and to members of their families, the officials said.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has begun distributing the booklet to health centers nationwide.
The National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, which operates under the auspices of the ministry, compiled the booklet in an effort to combat the growing number of shut-ins across the country, the officials said.
The booklet covers the basic reasons behind reclusive behavior and offers sufferers and their families tips for dealing with the problem. It features testimony provided by those in the process of dealing with social withdrawal.
The booklet says that shut-ins should feel no guilt as their behavior is caused by excessive stress and is a defense mechanism.
"The period of social withdrawal is a recess much needed for recharging your energy and you should not feel guilty about withdrawing from society," it says.