Nomophobia is short for no mobile phobia and is a word for the fear of, or anxiety caused by, not having a working mobile phone.
It is a mental health symptom or syndrome of problematic digital media use.
Nomophobia is usually considered a behavioral addiction; and shares many characteristics with drug addiction.
The connection of mobile phones to the Internet is one of the causes of nomophobia.
The symptoms of addiction may be the result of a need for comfort due to factors such as increased anxiety, poor self-esteem, insecure attachment, or emotional instability.
Some people overuse mobile phones to gain comfort in emotional relationships.
Mobile phone tend to be anxious when they lose their mobile phone, run out of battery oe have no network coverage.
About 58% of men and 47% of women have a phobia, and an additional 9% feel stressed when their mobile phones are off.
55% of those surveyed cited keeping in touch with friends or family as the main reason that they got anxious when they could not use their mobile phones.
More than one in two nomophobes never switch off their mobile phones.
Smartphones have become the biggest non-drug addiction of the 21st century.
College students may spend up to nine hours every day on their phones, which can lead to dependence on such technologies as a driver of modern life and an example of a paradox of technology that is both freeing and enslaving.
Young adults and adolescents are more likely to have nomophobia.
77% of the teens reported anxiety and worries when they were without their mobile phones, followed by the 25-34 age group and people over 55 years old.
Psychological predictors of this phobia are self negative views, younger age, low esteem and self-efficacy, high extroversion or introversion, impulsiveness and sense of urgency and sensation seeking.
Among students, frequent cell phone usage has been correlated with decreases in grade point average (GPA) and increased anxiety that negatively impacts self-reported life satisfaction of well-being and happiness, in comparison to students with less frequent usage.
GPA decreases may be due to the over-use of cell phones, consuming time and focus during studying, attending class, working on assignments, and the distraction of cell phones during class.
Over-usage of cell phones may increase anxiety due to the pressure to be continually connected to social networks and could rob chances of perceived solitude, relieving daily stress, that has been linked as a component of well-being.
People can use mobile phones to connect with friends, family, to obtain interpersonal needs such as family affection and tolerance, to get support and accompany on the Internet, to regulate emotions, and as a powerful tool for cyber-psychology, connecting to people’s emotional life.
Research suggests that mobile phone use is negatively associated with satisfaction with life.
Mobile phones can make life easier, they are also regarded as stressors.
Work pressure, frequent interpersonal communication, rapid information update and circulation make mobile phones crucial tools for most people in their work and life.
If a mobile phone is dead or a sudden drop in notification frequency occurs, some people will experience anxiety, irritability, depression, and other symptoms.
A wider range of mobile phone use is usually due to lower happiness, mindfulness, and life satisfaction.
Individuals with panic disorders, agoraphobia and anxiety disorders are prone to mobile phone dependency.
Nomophobia occurs in situations when an individual experiences anxiety due to the fear of not having access to a mobile phone.
Anxiety is provoked by several factors, such as the loss of a mobile phone, loss of reception, and a dead mobile phone battery.
Some characteristics of nomophobia include using the device impulsively, as a protection from social communication, having one or more devices with access to internet, always carrying a charger, and experiencing feelings of anxiety when thinking about losing the mobile.
People usually reduce sleep when they overuse their mobile phones.
Dependence on mobile phones is due to adverse mental health.
The increase in mobile phone usage is related to the decline in self-esteem and coping ability.
Nomophobia is associated with a considerably decreased number of face-to-face interactions with humans, replaced by a growing preference for communication through technological interfaces, keeping the device in reach when sleeping and never turned off, and looking at the phone screen frequently to avoid missing any message, phone call, or notification.
Nomophobia can also lead to an increase of debt due to the excessive use of data and the different devices the person can have, and can lead to physical issues such as sore elbows, hands, and necks due to repetitive use.
Irrational and extreme reactions due to anxiety and stress may be experienced by the individual in public settings where mobile phone use is restricted, such as in airports, academic institutions, hospitals and work.
Overusing a mobile phone for day-to-day activities such as purchasing items can cause the individual financial problems.
Distress and depression occur when the individual does not receive any contact through a mobile phone.
Attachment signs of a mobile phone also include the urge to sleep with a mobile phone.
Communicating through a mobile phone gives the individual peace of mind and security.
Individuals with an underlying social disorder are likely to experience nervousness, anxiety, anguish, perspiration, and trembling when separated or unable to use their digital devices due to low battery, out of service area, no connection, etc.
Individuals with an underlying social disorder. will often insist on keeping their devices on hand at all times, typically returning to their homes to retrieve forgotten cell phones.
Nomophobic behavior may reinforce social anxiety tendencies and dependency on using virtual and digital communications as a method of reducing stress generated by social anxiety and social phobia.
Individuals with panic disorders may also show nomophobic behavior, reporting feelings of rejection, loneliness, insecurity, and low self-esteem in regard to their cell phones.
Those with panic disorder will probably feel significantly more anxious and depressed with their cellphone use.
Individuals with panic disorder were significantly less likely to place voice calls.
Nomophobia has also been shown to increase the likelihood of problematic mobile phone use such as dependent use, for prohibited use, and dangerous use.
Nomophobia symptoms: anxiety respiratory alterations trembling perspiration agitation disorientation tachycardia Emotional symptoms: depression panic fear dependence rejection low self-esteem loneliness
Treatment:
Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, combined with pharmacological interventions.