"The Fight to Save Japan’s Young Shut-Ins"

"Hikikomori appears to be a condition distinct from other mental illnesses, Japanese experts say. Only about half of those with the condition would be diagnosed with a disorder in the U.S. psychiatric diagnostic manual commonly known as DSM-5, according to one survey of 4,134 Japanese residents published in Psychiatry Research in 2010. But large-scale survey data on hikikomori remains limited.

Some of the variation is likely due to limited resources in Japan for treating mental health, says Kawano Tooru, head of Fukuoka City Mental Health and Welfare Center. Another factor is that there is often less stigma about hikikomori than mental illnesses considered more severe, like schizophrenia, so more people are willing to call themselves hikikomori, Dr. Kato says."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fight-to-save-japans-young-shut-ins-1422292138?mod=e2fb