What is 'Selfitis?' Obsessive Selfie-Taking Now Considered by Psychologists as a Mental Disorder
It may have started as fake news, but researchers have confirmed that "Selfities," a condition in which a person is addicted to taking photos of themselves and posting them online, is a real concern.
A 2014 article first claimed that the American Psychiatric Association is planning to classify "Selfitis" as a mental disorder. It was proven to be a hoax at the time and is still fake news now, but further study by a group of researchers suggest that the condition might, in fact, exist and is more widespread than previously thought.
A team from the Nottingham Trent University and Thiagarajar School of Management recently published a report of their findings in the International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, and the results are genuinely concerning.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Whilst the story was revealed to be a hoax, it didn't mean that the condition of selfitis didn't exist," Dr. Mark Griffiths, Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction in Nottingham Trent University's Psychology Department, said.
"We have now appeared to confirm its existence and developed the world's first Selfitis Behaviour Scale to assess the condition," Dr. Griffiths added, as quoted by The Telegraph.
The study based its findings on a survey of 200 individuals from India, a region selected for having the highest rate of deaths related to taking selfies, according to Digital Trends. The research team looked for other behaviors linked to the obsessive taking of selfie shots, and came up with a behavior scale to assess an individual's level of "Selfitis."
Out of the study participants, 34 percent had borderline Selfitis, describing them as people who take photos of themselves at least three times a day but may or may not compulsively post them on social media.
Meanwhile, 40.5 percent have acute Selfitis, as they not only take selfies three times a day or more, they also post each and every one of these images online. Additionally, 25.5 percent were described as chronic selfie-takers who have an "uncontrollable urge" to take photos and post them on social media more than six times a day.
