“Kyushu University Develops New Tool for Assessing Pathological Social Withdrawal”
Kyushu University researchers have developed a new assessment tool called the Hikikomori Diagnostic Evaluation (HiDE), which is designed to identify individuals exhibiting pathological social withdrawal behaviors. Hikikomori is a condition characterized by prolonged physical isolation or social withdrawal lasting over six months. The condition was initially identified in Japan but has been increasingly observed worldwide, with the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating its prevalence.
The HiDE tool, which was developed at Kyushu University, aims to provide clinicians with a practical and structured method for assessing individuals with hikikomori symptoms. It includes a comprehensive questionnaire and a screening form and can be completed in 5-20 minutes, allowing for early detection and a better understanding of this growing global pathology.
Associate Professor Takahiro A. Kato of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Kyushu University emphasized the importance of having a standardized tool to identify and assess hikikomori individuals, especially as the condition continues to become a global phenomenon.
The HiDE assessment tool is a significant step in the development of a transcultural approach to understanding and addressing pathological social withdrawal. This new tool will not only aid clinicians in their practice but also serve as a valuable resource for researchers studying hikikomori.
In addition to developing the HiDE assessment tool, the researchers at Kyushu University have been at the forefront of hikikomori research, establishing the world’s first outpatient clinic for hikikomori in 2013. The team has also been investigating potential biomarkers of the pathology in search of better methods of treatment and early detection.
Kato and his team hope to see the HiDE assessment tool used by clinicians worldwide, and they encourage collaborative efforts to refine and further validate the tool. They stress the importance of recognizing and treating hikikomori as a collective effort, given its growing impact on a global scale.
The study, “The Hikikomori Diagnostic Evaluation (HiDE): a proposal for a structured assessment of pathological social withdrawal” by Takahiro A. Kato et al., has been published in World Psychiatry and is available as an open-access publication.
For more information about this research, please visit Kyushu University.
Source:
– Raymond Terhune, Kyushu University
– Image credited to Neuroscience News