Hikikomori

While total social withdrawal seems to be mainly a Japanese phenomenon, there are reports of similar phenomena developing in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong which possess similar high pressure educational systems. With the appearance of NEET in the United Kingdom and Twixters in the United States in recent years, there are indications that hikikomori may be part of a larger global phenomena in affluent and highly developed Post-Industrial countries.

Western youths who feel similar social pressures or bullying from peers and adults may become depressed, withdraw similar to hikikomori, or even lash out with hate and aggression. In some instances of the latter, their actions may escalate to the extreme, such as in the arson committed by June and Jennifer Gibbons, the deadly violence of Columbine High School massacre and Red Lake High School massacre in the United States, or the Erfurt massacre in Erfurt, Germany.

Hikikomori is unique to Japan, but otaku(geeks/nerds) is universal and growing phenomenon, sometimes confused with Hikikomori because all Hikikomoris are also otakus. Both fear social-interactions, both are obsessive and fat geeks(computer and otherwise) who live in their parent's basement. However while geeks have existed in western world as long they have existed in Japan, I have never heard of Hikikomori happening outside Japan. So I guess it's unique.