Hikikomori (ひきこもり): a culture-bound syndrome in the web 2.0 era.

In 1998 the Japanese psychiatrist Tamaki Sait¯o invented the term hikikomori, referring to a condition characterised by a state of social withdrawal and avoidance (education, work, friendships) combined with a persistent isolation and confinement in the own home for at least 6 months, due to various factors. Initially it undoubtedly regarded a disorder related to a specific socio-cultural context, however in the last couple of years some cases of hikikomori behaviour have also been observed in other countries far from Japan, both geographically and culturally. By way of hypothesis this diffusion can probably be attributed to the cultural revolution represented by mass communication in the internet era; in particular, it seems to be closely related to the immediateness and diffusion of web 2.0, i.e. of social networks. Therefore, we report a case of hikikomori behaviour, who was referred to our ward. M. is a 28-year-old man, who has lived the last 10 years in a state of almost complete isolation. He has maintained contacts with the outside world almost exclusively via internet. He started several therapies with psychiatrists and psychologists, without achieving significant results. The case of M. represents, to our knowledge, the first case of hikikomori described in Italy.