(HealthAndLovePage) There is no doubt that taking selfies is one of the most interesting phenomena in human behavior in the past decade. However, there are indications that excessive taking selfies is related to certain mental health issues.
Dr. David Veal, a reputable psychiatrist, says that 75% of patients who are suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder have a habit of taking several selfies a day and posting them on social media networks.
In order to stop with this obsession, patients are given cognitive behavioral therapy. In this way they can witness their compulsive behavior and start behaving appropriately.
However, many people ask themselves whether taking selfies is one of the causes or symptoms of addiction, mental illness, narcissism, depression or even suicide. There is a large number of psychologist who agree with this statement and these psychiatrists advise parents to monitor their children’s behavior on the social media networks in order to prevent cases like the one that happened recently in the United Kingdom.
Danny Bowman, 19-year-old Briton, attempted to take his life because his selfie wasn’t successful. Danny was focused on taking the ideal selfie so he spent about 10 hours a day for several weeks in a row taking more than 200 pictures per day in order to achieve that. The results were terrifying – he lost about 30 pounds, he skipped classes and stayed at home for months. He took photos of himself during the entire day from the moment he got out of bed until he went to sleep. Since he was not able to get the selfie that he wanted, he eventually overdosed himself, but his mother saved him.
Danny has given an interview in The Mirror in which he said that the quest to get the ideal selfie made him so desperate that he didn’t want to live anymore. Thanks to his obsession he lost his education, friends, health, but luckily his life was saved by his mom.
Danny Bowman is the first registered selfie addict that had therapy focused on solving this problem along with Body Dysmorphic Disorder and OCD. The treatment took place at the Maudsley Hospital in London where he learned how to live without his cell phone. At first his iPhone was taken from him for 10 minutes and this amount of time was gradually increased to one hour.
Bowman says that it was really difficult for him to stop using his iPhone, but his will to live made him determined to take some action.
According to officials working in the public health sector in the United Kingdom, the number of people who develop addiction to social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook is constantly growing and last year there were about 100 patients suffering from this form of addiction.
According to researcher Pamela Rutledge, selfies are the starting point of much deeper problem that lays in the people’s effort to get attention from their loved ones and from the public. This obsession is often associated with low self-esteem and narcissism.
One of the greatest risks of the growth of digital narcissism is the fact that it adds pressure to people who want to become something that they cannot be. It is always a good idea to have some role model even if we are talking about celebrities, but it is important to understand that you don’t have to look exactly the same like these people. Selfies are triggering some problems that may naturally exist deep inside every person, so if you are becoming obsessed with selfies it is a good idea to make self-evaluation and take a break from the daily photo sessions in order to avoid narcissistic delusions and other negative mental issues.
Take a look at the infographic in order to get a better view about the effects of selfies and social media.
Source: Complete Health And Happiness
