Hikikomori as a possible clinical term in psychiatry: a questionnaire survey

BMC Psychiatry

Toshikazu Saito²  Wakako Umene-Nakano⁴  Takahiro A Kato³  Tae Woo Park¹  Masaru Tateno² 

[1] Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine and VA Boston Healthcare System, 251 Causeway Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA;Department of Neuropsychiatry, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 0608543, Japan;Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate school of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 8128582, Japan;Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 8078555, Japan

关键词: Developmental disorders;    Psychiatric diagnosis;    School refusal;    Social withdrawal;    Hikikomori;   

Others  :  1124262
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-12-169

 received in 2012-02-24, accepted in 2012-10-12,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

The word hikikomori, the abnormal avoidance of social contact, has become increasingly well-known. However, a definition of this phenomenon has not been discussed thoroughly. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the perception of hikikomori amongst health-related students and professionals and to explore possible psychiatric conditions underlying hikikomori.

Methods

A total of 1,038 subjects were requested to complete a questionnaire regarding hikikomori phenomenon.

Results

While some differences in the perception of hikikomori do exist, all subjects tended to disagree with the statement, “hikikomori is NOT a disorder”. Regarding the underlying psychiatric disorders of hikikomori, approximately 30% of psychiatrists chose schizophrenia as the most applicable ICD-10 diagnosis for hikikomori, whereas 50% of pediatricians chose neurotic or stress-related disorders.

Conclusions

An argument still exists regarding the relationship between hikikomori and psychiatric disorders. We propose that the term hikikomori could be used to describe severe social withdrawal in the setting of a number of psychiatric disorders.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Tateno et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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