Hikikomori, pathological social withdrawal (IMAGE)

Kyushu University

Hikikomori, pathological social withdrawal

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Hikikomori is estimated to afflict more than a million people in Japan today, and evidence over the decade has shown it 'spreading' around the world, with some fearing that the COVID-19 pandemic could bring on a global wave of hikikomori patients. Researchers at Kyushu University now report they have identified a number of key blood biomarkers for hikikomori and could use the markers to distinguish between healthy individuals and hikikomori patients as well as determine the severity of the condition.

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Kyushu University

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