BACKGROUND: A severe form of pathological social withdrawal, 'hikikomori,' has been acknowledged in Japan, spreading worldwide, and becoming a global health issue. The pathophysiology of hikikomori has not been clarified, and its biological traits re...
As costs decline and technology inevitably improves, current trends suggest that artificial intelligence (AI) and a variety of "carebots" will increasingly be adopted in medical care. Medical ethicists have long expressed concerns that such technolog...
BACKGROUND: Hikikomori refers to the extreme isolation of individuals in their own homes, lasting at least six months. In recent years social isolation has become an important clinical, social, and public health problem, with increased awareness of h...