Is Hikikomori — an Extreme, Long-Term Form of Social Isolation — a Disease Unto Itself?
![Is Hikikomori — an Extreme, Long-Term Form of Social Isolation — a Disease Unto Itself?](https://images.ctfassets.net/cnu0m8re1exe/7xBbe4fjBk3l8WT0bb9rw/ae977cb431eefbd78031b54cb449a561/young-woman-sitting-isolation.jpg)
While mental health experts agree that hikikomori is a global mental health phenomenon, there’s uncertainty about the extent to which it occurs with other illnesses.