TY - JOUR
T1 - Internet society, internet addiction, and pathological social withdrawal
T2 - The chicken and egg dilemma for internet addiction and hikikomori
AU - Kato, Takahiro A.
AU - Shinfuku, Naotaka
AU - Tateno, Masaru
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/5/1
Y1 - 2020/5/1
N2 - Purpose of reviewInternet society has made our daily life more convenient, while its negative consequences especially internet, smartphone, and gaming addiction are emerging. At the same time, the phenomenon of pathological social withdrawal called 'hikikomori' has been increasingly highlighted as a problematic behavior in Japan. Now hikikomori is becoming a global mental health issue. The interaction between internet society, internet addiction, and hikikomori has not been well clarified.Recent findingsA case vignette survey among psychiatrists suggested that hikikomori cases could be comorbid with internet addiction. In reality, hikikomori cases with internet addiction have been reported internationally. A recent survey among college/university students in Japan has indicated positive interactions between internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming internet disorder, and hikikomori-tendencies.SummaryThe cause of hikikomori has not been well understood, and the emergence of internet may be one of the important contributing factors for the occurrence of hikikomori. Whether pathological social withdrawal creates internet addiction, or internet overuse creates hikikomori remains unclear. Both possibilities exist, and we herein propose the conceptual model of these hypothetical interactions. Clarifying the mechanisms of both conditions will help to solve these crucial issues for contemporary urban societies.
AB - Purpose of reviewInternet society has made our daily life more convenient, while its negative consequences especially internet, smartphone, and gaming addiction are emerging. At the same time, the phenomenon of pathological social withdrawal called 'hikikomori' has been increasingly highlighted as a problematic behavior in Japan. Now hikikomori is becoming a global mental health issue. The interaction between internet society, internet addiction, and hikikomori has not been well clarified.Recent findingsA case vignette survey among psychiatrists suggested that hikikomori cases could be comorbid with internet addiction. In reality, hikikomori cases with internet addiction have been reported internationally. A recent survey among college/university students in Japan has indicated positive interactions between internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming internet disorder, and hikikomori-tendencies.SummaryThe cause of hikikomori has not been well understood, and the emergence of internet may be one of the important contributing factors for the occurrence of hikikomori. Whether pathological social withdrawal creates internet addiction, or internet overuse creates hikikomori remains unclear. Both possibilities exist, and we herein propose the conceptual model of these hypothetical interactions. Clarifying the mechanisms of both conditions will help to solve these crucial issues for contemporary urban societies.
KW - Gaming disorder
KW - Hikikomori
KW - Internet addiction
KW - Smartphone addiction
KW - Social isolation
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U2 - 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000601
DO - 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000601
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32101902
AN - SCOPUS:85082779870
SN - 0951-7367
VL - 33
SP - 264
EP - 270
JO - Current opinion in psychiatry
JF - Current opinion in psychiatry
IS - 3
ER -