We report the first community epidemiological study of taijin kyofusho in Japan. A total of 132 inhabitants in a small community in the city of Kofu, Japan, was interviewed by trained interviewers using a semistructured interview, and completed self-report questionnaires. Of these respondents, nine (6.8%) reported ‘taijin kyofu’ symptoms, eight of whom reported having specific concerns about strong body odor although the ‘taijin kyofu’ symptoms were not serious enough to meet the criteria of a mental disorder. Although taijin kyofusho has traditionally been viewed as a disorder of young males, our cases were older and predominantly female. Although this sample was small and drawn from only one community, and we had no control group, our findings seem to support the view that some psychiatric symptoms are influenced by socio-cultural factors and that the symptoms of taijin kyofu are likely to be found in the general population of Japan.
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