Hikikomori - a Global Epidemic?

Hikikomori, or extreme social withdrawal/ isolation, was first identified in Japan in the 1990’s. Dr. Alan Teo, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, and a researcher and psychiatrist in the VA Portland Health Care System, has said that since then, Hikikomori is being seen everywhere, even to young Americans who live with their parents and cut themselves off from society. Dr Teo believes that the condition needs to be regarded as a behavioural problem in its own right, and that the first step toward that is to come up with a definition. With that in mind, he has proposed a new, universal diagnostic criteria for hikikomori and a framework for defining pathological social withdrawal in the digital age. He joins us to discuss more.