is being a hermit a mental illness?

Question

hi i am a hermit. i come from a long line of hermits. i have some friends, but they all know about me and how im a hermit. im very happy this way. but i am keenly aware that this is not supposed to be healthy. but whenever i go out, im usually just wanting to go home to read some books. thats pretty much all i do is read books. is being a hermit considered a psychological problem even if youre happy? is it a requisite for mental health to talk to people every day. thanks.

well by long line i meant a lot of people in my family going back. sorry if it sounds dramatic. im a terrible writer. also, i am concerned, because people have pointed it out. also, i read in a lot of places that socializing is good for you. and if you dont socialize a lot you can get heart disease. youre right, i do socialize with others on some level.

Answer 1

I was like you and still am. I had friends but I did not let them run my life and i still am the master of my life...when my wife lets me.
You are not wrong in living the way you want to as there are more people then you think that are living like you. I am married to a women that thinks the way I do and maybe thats why we don't have children? well, the less people you let in your life the less control you have over your own life.
It sounds you are concerned about your mental health? Well everyone has doubts about that. I would take the path of least resistance and go with your own feelings as its your life and in the end we will all have to live with ourselves. You are not really a hermit as hermits are cut off from all interactions with people and live in solitude like Tom Hanks in the Survivor...most real hermits are not sane in the end. I have studied famous hermits as rich people used to have hermits live on their estates years ago as a status symbol? well they all would end up going bonkers!! So do go there! Just be a recluse in your own fashion

Answer 2

No, not at all. In fact, it's a great thing leading a way of life as a hermit. Sometime I wish I were one but it's easier said than done. I mean I have never heard or read anywhere about such a case. I think you should be happy with your noble way of life, I don't see anything wrong with being so. Go on with your good practice and share your experience with other people and the world. You know, many great people were hermits. For instance, the Buddha was once a hermit before he accomplished his enlightenment and found Buddhism some 2500 years ago.

Answer 3

People become hermits for lots of reasons, your not a real hermit by the way, a real hermit shuns all type of contact with people all his life! And the reason can be mental or hereditary, or a spurned lover even! They go and live in the bush far away from human contact all their lives and become 'wild men' of the forests. Have a good day!

Answer 4

I can identify with what you say. Simply because you are a minority among the majority gives nobody the right to stereotype but that is the way humanity has evolved. People who know me try and get me out all the time! I'm not into window shopping, socializing or partying but that does not mean I have a Screw loose. It just isn't my thing and does nothing for me. I like reading and musing and have always preferred to do things that are meaningful to me irrespective of what everybody else is doing. I am whole in myself and that does not change with or without company. Surely that is healthy! I have experienced loneliness in company simply because we didn't have much in common. We live in a society where being mentally independent is not encouraged and a lot of people (parents especially) are now seeking help with the art of me time. You are happy and that to me denotes a healthy mind.

Answer 5

maybe he suffers from agoraphobia on some level. It s unfair to judge the man. He s looking for answers not insults. I m here because I was diagnosed with extreme anxiety disorder at one point and agoraphobia. But i was curious if being a hermit was what I was. But I feel more like I am in prison in my own home. I don t answer my phone. I keep to myself. I believe in your right to self medicate if you are smart enough to. I ve been a quiet person that enjoyed being alone all my life. I could never have another relationship. I couldn t possibly conform to someone else s life. I think I m just stuck in my ways and stubborn and I feel the need to punish myself for past mistakes.

Answer 6

Being a hermit just means that you have supreme confidence in yourself and you enjoy your own company. A friend once told me that he was very sorry for me because I wasn't enjoying life. I asked him why he came to that conclusion. He said that because he did not see me at many parties. But my enjoyment does not necessarily come from being around a lot of people. I enjoy a good book, watching television and surfing on the Internet

Answer 7

I am a bit of a hermit myself. It's not that I fear social interaction...I just don't require it. I live in a cabin in the wilds of a small mountain range, but I drive into town to work. I like the seclusion. I don't have to worry about someone playing their rap to loud, or trashing out my neighborhood, or making racist comments, or door solicitors (although I did have some Jehovahs Witnesses show up once). I do have to worry about wild animals, transients, and democrats ruining the country. Venison anyone?

Answer 8

You don't sound like a hermit.. more a solitary person.. You have people that you talk to, you socialize to a certain degree but have no desire to be around people all the time.. you would much rather prefer to be alone, doing your own thing on your own time. I don't think that's bad-not if you're content.

Answer 9

That's rubbish

A hermit lives a solitary life, does not socialise with others, and definately does not come from a "long line" of hermits.

You may be agorophobic, but you are NOT a hermit

Answer 10

Since I retired from Star Trek, I live on Vulcan deep in the woods away from everyone including DePring. I just meditate and play with my 15'' Vulcan Shwopper.