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Selfitis, Compulsive talking and other virtual addictions do exist

The internet came with many glories but most found themselves lost in the demons of its obsession, with many losing their mental wellbeing to her allurement.

Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its recognition of ‘excessive gaming’ as a mental health disorder and the disease will be included in 2018 update of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

WHO definition of Excessive Gaming;

1 ) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context);

2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and

 3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. The behaviour pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.

Although some are critical of WHO’s decision to include Excessive Gaming into ICD, opining that gaming can’t be categorized as addiction, researchers who have studied gaming behavior for long, argue that it fits the category.

Selfitis

Also, a team of researchers have developed a psychometric measurement for ‘selfitis’­­­­­­­­ (the addiction to taking and posting selfies online), ‘the Selfitis Behavior Scale’.

The research was carried out on a group of college students to test certain motivations for and consequences of taking selfies, like social competition, mood modification, and attention seeking.

Based on one’s score, one may be classified as having borderline, acute, or chronic selfitis. The reliability and validity of the scale were found to be quite accurate, it will require more tests to validate the scale’s accuracy.

However, some may agree from a non-scientific view that something along the lines of selfitis does exist accompanied with certain psychological features, it remains unclear how it fits into the larger understanding of mental health issues. It may be more a symptom of an underlying problem than a diagnosis in itself.

Communication Addiction Disorder (Compulsive talking)

Communication Addiction Disorder (CAD), a supposed behavioral disorder related to the necessity of being in constant communication with other people, even when there is no practical necessity for such communication. It has been linked to Internet addiction, with Users becoming addicted to the social elements of the Internet, like Facebook, twitter, Instagram and the likes. Users become addicted to one-on-one or group communication in the form of social support, relationships and entertainment. However, interference with these activities can result in conflict and guilt, a kind of addiction known as Social Network Addiction.

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