title: Hikikomori, is it a culture-reactive or culture-bound syndrome? Nidotherapy and a clinical vignette from Oman.
abstract: Hikikomori, a form of acute social withdrawal, is becoming a silent epidemic in Japan. As it has not been reported from other parts of the world, hikikomori fulfills the criteria for "a culture-bound syndrome." We report a case from Oman, in the southern part of Arabia, with all the essential features of hikikomori. We speculate that the social environment of Japanese and Omani society could reinforce behavior akin to hikikomori although this condition may also transcend geography and ethnicity.
authors.affiliation: University of Tokyo.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Rodger G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumano
authors.forename: Tomifusa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuboki
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Adawi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D009850:Oman; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012918:Social Alienation; D012919:Social Behavior; D013577:Syndrome