While your parents might have been joking around about the 'harmful effects' of taking selfies, studies recently conducted might just have proven them right. The obsession of taking selfies on smartphones is now termed as 'Selfitis' and is deemed a real disorder that needs treatment. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University in the UK and the Thiagarajar School of Management (TSM) in Tamil Nadu began investigating the phenomenon after a hoax story appeared in the media in 2014 claiming ‘selfitis’ had been classed as a genuine mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.
They have now confirmed the existence of the disorder and developed the ‘Selfitis Behaviour Scale’ which can be used to assess its severity. The findings, published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction confirmed that there are three levels of selfitis. Borderline is those defined as taking selfies at least three times a day but not posting them on social media. Acute selfitis are those taking selfies at least three times a day and posting each one on social media. Chronic selfitis is the absolute uncontrollable urge to take photos of yourself round the clock and posting the photos on social media more than six times a day.
“A few years ago, stories appeared in the media claiming that the condition of selfitis was to be classed as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association,” said Mark Griffiths, from Nottingham Trent University. He added, “While the story was revealed to be a hoax, it did not mean that the condition of selfitis did not exist." “We have now appeared to confirm its existence and developed the world’s first Selfitis Behaviour Scale to assess the condition," he said. “Typically, those with the condition suffer from a lack of self-confidence and are seeking to ‘fit in’ with those around them, and may display symptoms similar to other potentially addictive behaviours,” said Janarthanan Balakrishnan, assistant professor at TSM.
Do you think you may have the disorder or do you know of someone who may?
