'He went into his shell' Mum gets help from new service for reclusive adults and their parents

Her son shuts himself in room after graduation, sleeping or going online

- Theresa Tan

After returning home with an arts degree from an overseas university in 2023, Anna's son shut himself in his room all day and night.

More than a year on, the 27-year-old man is still unemployed and has not shown any visible effort in looking for a job. He hardly leaves the house and barely speaks to anyone, and most of his time is spent sleeping or going online.

"He went into his shell," said Anna (not her real name), a professional in her 60s.

She does not know what ails her son, who refuses to see a psychologist or counsellor.

She was at her wit's end until she found support from Fei Yue Community Services (FYCS), a social service agency, which recently started to counsel and provide support to parents or caregivers of socially withdrawn adults.

The agency is also trying to engage these reclusive adults.

Since December 2024, it has counselled at least eight parents, and there are plans to start a support group for the parents in May.

FYCS social worker Bryan Wong said: "They feel parental guilt, like they have failed their child in some way.

"We want to let them know they are not alone. They can learn from one another, and support one another."

The initiative started after more than a dozen parents with reclusive children from their mid-20s to 30 years of age asked for help in recent months after learning of the agency's work with socially withdrawn young people, said Mr Wong.

All but one of these adult children are male.

Its Hidden Youth Intervention Programme for those aged between 12 and 25 started in 2021 as a tie-up with the Reach (Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health) team at the National University Hospital (NUH).