Why is the hikikomori phenomenon in Japan being treated like a national crisis? Are there legitimate health concerns involved or is it more related to culture?

Question

Why is the hikikomori phenomenon in Japan being treated like a national crisis? Are there legitimate health concerns involved or is it more related to culture?

In: 8

Answer 1

Cultural specific mental health concerns exist – hikikomori seems to a specific vairant of agoraphobia/social anxiety inexorably linked to the way Japanese society functions and the pressures that are put onto people.

So, sort of both – there is a legitimate mental health concern, but that is tied up in how the society functions and cultural expectations and norms. You can’t really separate any one condition from the cultural context surrounding it.