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‘Selfitis’ could be sign of mental illness ‒ study A selfie a day keeps the doctor away, 3 or more and you could have a serious health problem
(about 9 hours later)
Researchers say “Selfitis,” the obsessive taking of selfies on mobile phones, is a real thing, and that taking six or more selfies a day could be a sign of chronic mental illness. Is taking too many selfies bad for your health? Psychologists seem to think so, warning that ‘selfitis’ has become a genuine medical condition and those who feel compelled to post pics may be in need of help.
The term ‘selfitis,’ the obsessive taking of selfies, was originally coined in a fake-news story in 2014; but inspired an actual study conducted by psychologists Dr Janarthanan Balakrishnan and Dr Mark D. Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University.
  The study explores the concept of selfitis, collecting data from 625 real university students to test out the supposed condition. The study broke down the condition into three described levels - borderline, acute, and chronic - and developed the Selfitis Behavior Scale.
The study, by researchers at Nottingham Trent University and the Thiagarajar School of Management in India, explored the concept and collected data on the existence of selfitis. They developed a “Selfitis Behavior Scale,” with three levels: borderline, acute and chronic. ‘Borderline’ cases are defined as people who take selfies three times a day (at a minimum), but do not post them on social media. ‘Acute’ sufferers actually post the selfies they take, and those suffering in the ‘chronic’ phase of the condition feel compelled to take selfies round the clock and post pictures online more than six times a day.
Griffiths and Balakrishnan’s study began as an investigation into the phenomenon of selfie-taking, after a hoax story appeared in 2014 claiming that “selftis” had been classed as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. The article argued the desire to take photos of one’s self and post them on social media was “a way to make up for the lack of self-esteem and to fill a gap in intimacy.”  Balakrishnan said the research was conducted to help understand why people develop the obsessive tendency. “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 behaviors,” he said.
Scientists began with a focus group interview with 225 university students in India to create the scale, and validated the results by using 400 students. Of the group, 230 were male and 170 were female. The majority were between the ages of 16 and 25. “Now that the existence of the condition appears to have been confirmed, it is hoped that further research will be carried out to understand more about how and why people develop this potentially obsessive behavior, and what can be done to help people who are the most affected.”
Students were asked a series of questions, and their responses were used to grade them on the Selfitis Behavior Scale. Among the questions were: Professor of Psychological Medicine at King’s College London Sir Simon Wessely has poo-pooed the study, however, calling the research paper itself an “academic selfie.”
Among the questions were: “The research suggests that people take selfies to improve their mood, draw attention to themselves, increase their self-confidence and connect with their environment,” he said.
Six motivating factors were identified, with “selfitis” sufferers typically seeking to increase their self-confidence, seek attention, improve their mood, connect with the environment around them (to create a record of memories), increase their conformity with the social group around them and be socially competitive. Spokesman for the Royal College of Psychiatrists Dr Mark Salter echoed Wessely's skepticism.
The prevalence of these factors determined the level of selfitis severity. "There is a tendency to try and label a whole range of complicated and complex human behaviors with a single word,” he said. “But that is dangerous because it can give something reality where it really has none.”
“This study arguably validates the concept of selfitis and provides benchmark data for other researchers to investigate the concept more thoroughly and in different contexts,” says the paper, authored by Dr Mark Griffiths, of Nottingham Trent University, and Madurai-based Janarthanan Balakrishnan. The paper was published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. New technologically based mental-health disorders seem to be on the rise. ‘Nomophobia’ has popped up, which is the fear of not being near a mobile phone. ‘Technoference’ is now the name for the constant intrusion of technology in everyday life, and ‘cyberchondria’ is the compulsion of googling symptoms instead of visiting a doctor.
Survey results showed that 136 students, or 34 percent, were “borderline” on the behavior scale. Another 162 students, or 40.5 percent, fell into the “acute” category, while 102, or 25.5 percent, were classified as “chronic.”
Of the test group, over half took one to four selfies a day. Just over a third took five to eight selfies a day, and about 10 percent were taking eight or more selfies a day. Thirty-four percent of the test group posted nothing on social media, 40 percent posted at least one to three times a day, and 25 percent posted more than three times a day.
Ever since Dr. Griffiths published a paper on “technological addictions” in 1995, there has been a marked increase in research into addiction to the internet, online games, mobile phones and social media.