[Social withdrawal in the adolescent and young adult]

The phenomenon of social withdrawal in adolescence and young adulthood has become one of the major issues in community mental health care. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview on the psychopathological understanding of this condition and the mental health care measures required. Social withdrawal is a condition arising from the backdrop of various psychopathological backgrounds including schizophrenia, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, personality disorder, and some cases with a background of developmental disorder. The importance of establishing policies for treatment and support based upon appropriate assessment of each individual case, the schizoid pathology found in common among many cases, and the issues in psychoanalytic psychotherapy for these schizoid cases are reviewed. Furthermore, the need for systematizing approaches enabling consultations sought by family members, and a guideline and problems pertaining to crisis intervention for cases exhibiting severe violence or antisocial behavior are presented as issues to be addressed in future mental health care.