Imagine being so overwhelmed with fear and anxiety that you never venture outside of your house and that, being so overcome by social anxiety, you withdraw completely from any social interaction. This is the harsh reality for a growing number of people made completely immobilized by their mental health condition.

It’s difficult to find detailed statistics related to the number of people suffering from this debilitating social anxiety, in part because most reports include those with the issue in the general depression group, which now tops more than 350 million people of all ages and ethnicities around the globe.

Hermit, recluse, and lone wolf are only a few of the terms used to describe those with severe social anxiety. Although most people think of North America when social psychological issues are mentioned, the 2013 article, Japan: a haven for the psychologically troubled written by Japan Times reporter, William Bradbury, crowns the Asian country as home to a growing demographic of citizens combatting a variety of social and mental health issues.