Do You Suffer From Nomophobia

With 75 per cent of people suffering from it, GLOSSOPHOBIA i.e., the fear of speaking in public was considered to be the number one phobia. But now, a new fear – NOMOPHOBIA is on the rise and will replace the position of GLOSSOPHOBIA soon!    

Now as you would read further about NOMOPHOBIA, one might naturally wonder if such a symptom can be classed as a disease. But latest studies and researches have revealed that it is not just a fantasy to laugh at but could lead to serious mental disorders such as stress, hypertension, etc.                                            Nomophobia (Photo credit: Foomandoonian)

 What actually is NOMOPHOBIA? According to a survey conducted in 2008 of 2163 adults in the UK by YouGov plc underwritten by the UK Post Office Telecoms, it is supposedly “the fear of being out of mobile phone contact,” i.e., a no mobile phone phobia and hence coined the term NOMOPHOBIA.   

   

(Note: However, "NOMOPHOBIA" is not a recognized phobia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.)   

   

A recent article in the Daily Mail now reports that NOMOPHOBIA affects 66 per cent of the adults in UK. The symptoms/signs of NOMOPHOBIA, according to the Daily Mail are:   

   

•        Not being able ever to turn your phone off.   

•         Obsessively checking for missed calls, emails and texts periodically.   

•         Constantly topping up your battery life unnecessarily.   

•         Being unable to pop to the bathroom without taking your phone in with you.   

   

There could be many reasons for a person to turn nomophobic. A few could be    

   

•        Fear of losing contact with the world or specifically friends or relatives.   

•        Fear of losing important business or other deals.   

•        Fear of not getting updated about the latest happenings.   

•        Fear of not keeping in touch with their lover (also not being able to know their actions).   

•        Fear of losing the data/contacts stored in the phone.   

•        Fear if the phone will fall into wrong hands.   

   

The people who are nomophobic can even show acute symptoms such as breathnessness, nausea, giddiness and other symptoms of stress.   

   

This usually happens when people start losing their phone’s network or the battery starts to drain. These people then start to show sudden frenzy and get all tensed up.    

   

My personal opinion would be that these people should undergo proper and effective psychological treatment in the earlier stages itself to prevent it from increasing its intensity.   

   

Some other tips that can help nomophobic people are to:   

•        Carry a spare low cost phone which has all the contacts if you lose your original phone
          or it gets damaged.     

•        Have another sim which has better coverage with all the contacts copied in it.   

•        Always recharge your phone before leaving your place.   

•        Always carry a spare battery with you.   

•        Keep a backup of all your data and contacts in another phone or your PC.   

•     Note down your phones IMEI number and SIM number in a safe place to speed up the reporting of your lost/stolen phone.   

   

   

So guys, check the above signs and determine if you are suffering from NOMOPHOBIA and don't delay yourself in taking treatment or you could be in great danger! Also do advice your friends who you think might be affected by this phobia!