To the toilet with a smartphone. It is addiction? Find out what nomophobia is

Dscout decided to analyze the time we spend with mobile devices. She invited Android smartphone users to take part in the study. The test participants were observed for five days - they checked how many times a day they touched the screen. It turned out that while 10 percent of respondents used the phone 5400 times a day.. The others rushed towards him. an average of 2617 times a day.

There is no doubt that using a smartphone can be addictive and turn into nomophobia. Some people don’t leave their phone even in the bathroom, in the delivery room, in church, or … during their own wedding.

What is nomophobia?

Nomophobia is, simply put, the fear of losing access to a smartphone. The term new was first used in 2008. Taken from English - no phobia of mobile phones. This phobia is a consequence and a symptom of phonoholism - dependence on a smartphone - one of the behavioral addictions, i.e. associated with addictive behavior. This group also includes shopaholism, cybersexoholism or gambling.

So far, nomophobia does not appear as a medical term, but it is assumed that it is type of anxiety disorder.

How does nomophobia manifest itself?

The most common symptoms of this disorder include:

• strong fear, anxiety and even aggression in a situation where you can not use the phone,

• fear at the thought of not having access to the network or a dead battery,

• impaired concentration and memory,

• nervousness,

• mood deterioration,

• headaches, migraines,

• psychosomatic symptoms (sweating, increased heart rate, hand trembling, feeling hot / cold),

• in extreme cases, panic attacks may occur.

We asked Katarzyna Andrusikevich, a psychologist and certified addiction and codependence psychotherapist, about when smartphone use becomes an addiction.

Today we all use the phone. Through it, we make transfers and purchases, check grades in an electronic journal, and even control the menstrual cycle. How do we know if we are within the normal range?

The phone has moved from just being used to make calls or text messages to being a mini-computer, our means of connecting with the world and the mainstay of our daily entertainment. However, often our use of the phone, the internet and social media is a form of escapism. If we use a smartphone consciously, i.e. only when we really check something, communicate, look, then we have nothing to worry about. The problem comes when our online presence starts to spiral out of control. When we browse social or news sites for no particular purpose, often without even realizing how much time it costs us. It is also worth worrying about the nervous, frequent checking of the smartphone - waiting for new notifications or messages. If we can’t go without a phone for several hours, this is a signal that we should contact a psychologist to sort out the problem.

Or maybe we are looking for a problem by force? After all, the phone has become an integral part of our lives.

The problem is broad, I would even say civilizational. As a narcologist, I see that more and more people cannot do without a phone. And when they are not around, they are nervous, angry at the world, restless and even aggressive. I am sure that we are not exaggerating when we talk about this phenomenon. Along with the gallop of technological progress and the fast pace of life, often in stress and fear, more and more dependent people are becoming. Especially among children and adolescents, for whom life in the virtual world is something completely natural. They function there. As a result, new phenomena appear, such as FOMO, i.e. fear of being denied access to information. In addition, nomophobia is highly correlated with smartphone addiction, i.e. phonoholism.

Who is most at risk of becoming addicted?

All smartphone users are at risk. However, as I said, we must pay special attention to the youngest. They are the least aware of the real dangers of inadequate and excessive smartphone use. Children and young people become emotionally attached to the Internet very quickly and easily. Another group most prone to nomophobia is people with low self-esteem, shy, afraid of loneliness, outcasts. For those who have trouble establishing and maintaining relationships in the real world.