PAGSE-SELFIE AY ISA NA PALANG SAKIT! KINUMPIRMA ITO NG MGA EXPERTO AT TINATAWAG NA "SELFITIS" AT ITO AY SERYOSONG DISORDER!

Uh-oh! Did you know that taking too many selfies is now recognized as a serious mental health condition? KAMI learned that the term “selfitis” or the obsessive urge of taking selfies more than six times a day is considered a chronic psychological disorder. As Filipinos, we can’t deny the fact that some of us are into taking a lot of selfies. 

We are also among the top social media users in the world. But as modern technology continuously thrive, it is quite challenging to gauge how it is taking control of our day-to-day lives. From smartphones to social media or online games, people can’t help but get hook to these modern-day advances. Unfortunately, these technological obsessions are taking a toll to our mental health. According to Radyo Inquirer, a recent study was conducted to delve into the reasons why some people are obsessed with taking selfies.

The research was conducted by a team of researchers from Nottingham Trent University and Thiagarajar School of Management in India. Experts were able to identify three selfitis categories or levels — borderline, acute and chronic — which can be useful to the condition's severity assessment. For borderline level, it refers to those who are taking selfies at least three times a day but do not post them on social media. Acute, on the other hand, are those who are taking at least three selfies daily and post them on social media. 

As for chronic, this refers to people who have the uncontrollable urge to take selfies 24/7 and post them on social media at least six times a day. In addition, the researchers were also able to identify six motivating factors for this obsessive behavior. These include lack of self-esteem or confidence, seeking attention, mood improvement, seeking conformity with the social group around them, connecting with the environment around them and being socially competitive, Daily Express noted. 

Meanwhile, the word "selfitis" was first coined in 2014 after it was mentioned in a satirical news article. At the time, the article claimed that selfitis was considered a mental health problem by the American Psychiatric Association. Even though the story was proven to be a hoax, Nottingham Trent University’s behavioral addiction professor Dr. Mark Griffiths said it didn’t mean that the condition did not exist. 

Apart from selfitis, the experts also identified other technologically related mental health disorders such as “technoference” or “the constant intrusion of technology in everyday life,” “cyberchondria” or “feeling ill after searching online for symptoms of illness” and “nomophobia” or “the fear of not being near a mobile phone.” The study was carried out with 400 participants from India, the nation with the most Facebook users. The findings was published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

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