"Digital toxins and nomophobia" Symptoms of smartphone addiction and how to treat it

More and more people today rely on smartphones. Despite their importance in our daily lives, specialists warn of the danger of symptoms of addiction to these phones, stressing the importance of treating them as soon as possible.

The widespread use of smartphones in our daily lives is causing an advanced case of behavioral addiction, which psychiatrists call "no-mobile phobia", which is the fear of losing a mobile phone or not being able to use it.

Many people today, especially younger generations such as Generation Z , are increasingly dependent on smartphones, as specialized research indicates that smartphone users receive 427% more messages and notifications than they did a decade ago.

Despite the importance of using smartphones, according to statistics conducted in recent months, with the number of their users approaching more than 4 billion people around the world, to meet daily needs in a way that often becomes necessary, specialists warn of the seriousness of the symptoms of addiction to these phones, stressing the importance of treating them as soon as possible.

Addictive

Relying on the smartphone does not stop at social communication and phone calls, but rather to meet almost all needs and living transactions, starting from buying food and groceries, passing through all forms of shopping and banking transactions, to games, watching movies and series, and even dating and getting to know a future partner.

Specialists note that smartphones have been carefully designed " in an addictive manner ", through their multiple features, technologies, colors, sounds and vibrations, to intentionally maintain the active participation of their users. As Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at the tech giant Google, explains, a feature like "pull-to-refresh" was originally inspired by slot machines and other casino games.

Partial or total dependence on the smartphone is accompanied by many risks that reach the point of addiction, as shown by some indicators explained by experts and psychiatrists.

How do you know how addicted to the phone?

Turkish doctor Adam Aydin, a psychiatrist, warns of the escalating spread of "nomophobia" among smartphone users, noting that "a person with this phobia browses his phone every 15 minutes, and makes sure that his phone is next to him 150 times a day," in addition to To that person having other symptoms, such as placing the phone under the pillow during sleep, and waking up during sleep to check his phone.

Experts offer some questions that can help a person know the extent of his attachment or addiction to his smartphone, such as “Can you go a whole day without your smartphone? How many hours do you spend a day with it? Do you feel anxious and uncomfortable if the phone battery runs out or not?” Was there enough mobile network coverage?

And about the most dangerous indicators of smartphone addiction, which its users are hardly devoid of, is the state of dopamine release, which is the chemical that makes a person feel good and is released every time you do something you enjoy, which specialists stress on its immediate rise every time it lights up Our screen with a new notification, like getting a new like or follow on an app, makes the “nomophobia” nearly as dangerous as “the effect of cocaine on the brain.”

Experts attribute one of the reasons for the high rates of depression and suicide among adolescents in recent years, to the negative effects and digital toxins associated with phone addiction, such as anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, psychosis, hostility, feelings of inferiority and discontent with comparisons with the lives of others that their social media posts often show on It is "perfect and free from problems and difficulties", in addition to many other negative symptoms.

Getting rid of "nomophobia"

Addiction therapists and technologists recommend not to give in to smartphone addiction, and to follow some tips and instructions to eliminate “nomophobia.” You begin to obtain counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy and medication through specialized centers for the treatment of digital addiction, especially if the person feels that he is in an advanced stage of attachment to his smartphone. .

Experts provide important tips that any smartphone user can apply in order to prevent digital addiction, the most important of which is not to put the device next to the bed before going to sleep, as the phone causes confusion, in addition to the fact that exposure to blue light from the phone screen before bed, turns The body's biological clock is turned upside down, which leads to drowsiness and loss of concentration during the day.

In addition, leaving the phone meters away from the place of sitting or working, so that it is out of view, in order to increase the chances of focusing away from checking the phone. People can also use some applications that are designed to limit electronic browsing and set that for a specific time.