TY - JOUR
T1 - Hikikomori as a possible clinical term in psychiatry
T2 - a questionnaire survey
AU - Tateno, Masaru
AU - Park, Tae W.
AU - Kato, Takahiro A.
AU - Umene-Nakano, Wakako
AU - Saito, Toshikazu
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Yasuyo Suzuki, Kiyoji Matsuyama (Sapporo Medical University), Takeshi Ujiie (Hokkaido Ujiie Clinic for Psychosomatic Children) for their contributions for data collection, and Ryuji Sasaki (Sapporo Medical University) for his technical assistance for on-line questionnaire. This study was partially supported by the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Research Fund 2010 to TAK.
PY - 2012/10/15
Y1 - 2012/10/15
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
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U2 - 10.1186/1471-244X-12-169
DO - 10.1186/1471-244X-12-169
M3 - Article
C2 - 23061675
AN - SCOPUS:84867347143
SN - 1471-244X
VL - 12
JO - BMC Psychiatry
JF - BMC Psychiatry
M1 - 169
ER -
