| Most consider hikikomori a problem within the family, rather than a psychological illness. |
| Indeed, it is both haven and trap for the client, who describes himself as a hikikomori. |
| For now, Eastern and Western psychologists agree only that hikikomori is unique to Japan and has serious ramifications for both generations. |
| Western psychologists compare hikikomori with social anxiety and agoraphobia, a fear of open places. |
| The decision is difficult, given that he the hikikomori is a profoundly circular and fantastic concept. |
| Tamaki Saito, the psychiatrist who coined the term hikikomori believes there are more than a million cases. |
