Is social withdrawal a mental disorder?

In the third chapter, an overview of social withdrawal in premodern, modern, and contemporary periods is given. The book of a psychiatrist who pioneered hikikomori studies is analyzed. The book is entitled Shakaiteki hikikomori: owaranai shishunki [Hikikomori, Adolescence Without End]. Then, I ask whether hikikomori could be considered a Japanese “culture-bound syndrome.” Responding to this question requires a confrontation with taijin kyōfushō, defined as a Japanese interpersonal fear disorder in the DSM-5®. Evidence shows that psychiatrists since Saitō Tamaki have systematically led their investigations relying on a process called “typification,” which only meets a subcategory of shut-ins and their families.