Refining research question (1)

While I do a search for the definition of Hikikomori through Oxford Online Premium, it was stated that:

1. hikikomori n.A culture-bound syndrome found almost exclusively in Japan, most com-monly among male teenagers and young adults, especially eldest sons, although about a quarter of cases are female. It is character-ized by extreme social withdrawal and near-total ...
(From A Dictionary of Psychology in Politics & Social Sciences)

In South China Morning Post Ltd. Jan 15, 2007 was reported that the number of young people who spend their lives locked in their bedrooms has tripled in the past two years to as many as 18,500 according to the estimation of a welfare group.
Of these young hermits, some had isolated themselves for as long as six years, with the youngest being just 12.

These lock up young people were reported that they would kill time surfing the internet or playing computer games, or watch television or idle away the hours in a dark corner at home. It had been also suggested that the phenomenon partly to the increasing competition at school and pressure to succeed within the community.

"Many of them become evasive and eventually choose to lock themselves up in their bedrooms during the day and only came out to have food or take a shower,"

Is Hikikomori still, a culture-bound syndrome found almost exclusively in Japan? Or is it a epidemic in Mega cities? Does Hikikomori happen in Hong Kong? Or had the term had been loosely used? If it was loosely used, why? What is the attraction of this term, or phenomena? When the term was loosely used, was it suggesting or predicting something? What are the psychologist and sociologist have to say?



I think those are the questions that I would like to find out at this moment.