Phone addiction (nomophobia) – how to get rid of it?

Mobile today is an integral attribute of a person. It has become so firmly established in the lives of modern people that many can no longer imagine how they previously survived without this means of communication. It gets to the point where some people experience unreasonable fear and panic if they forget their smartphone at home. Specialists at the Verimed clinic often encounter such patients. Of course, the phone allows you to communicate and performs the functions of a book, camera, and game console. It is really convenient and interesting to use. But it also has a downside - it can cause mental disorders. A person's dependence on the phone can become so strong and pronounced that the help of a psychiatrist is required. In psychology there is even a special term that characterizes this problem - nomophobia. It comes from the English expression “no mobile phobia,” which translated means “fear of not having a phone.” Experts compare this type of non-chemical addiction with alcoholism - if you deprive a person of the “pipe”, he will experience a kind of withdrawal syndrome, which is manifested by irritability, aggressiveness, insomnia, and deterioration of physical condition.

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Smartphones are not toys for children, or whatever the child enjoys

Today, many parents “simplify” their lives by entertaining their children using mobile devices: the child sits quietly, does not cry, and is generally happy. But this is not a solution. For an unformed child’s psyche, a smartphone poses a much greater threat than a decline in cognitive skills, says family psychologist Anzhelika Chumakova . “Children whose parents entertain them with smartphones and other gadgets develop more slowly. This happens because at every age it is important to develop certain skills, for example, tactile ones: through modeling, drawing, putting together puzzles, through fine motor skills,” Chumakova told AiF.ru. - On the one hand, some video games contribute to the development of reactions, but at this particular age, for normal development, a child does not need to train reactions in such volumes; the development of motor skills is much more important. Fine motor skills contribute to the development of certain areas of the brain, which, in turn, are associated with general verbal activity.”

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In the subway, traffic jam or queue. What are the benefits and dangers of playing games on your phone? Smartphones can also negatively affect the development of imagination, as Chumakova notes. This affects older children who, for example, over-watch cartoons. An adult is capable of finding new approaches to solving certain problems and creating only if he has a sufficiently developed imagination. Cartoons provide a ready-made picture created by someone else, depriving the child of the need to imagine. “If a child has ready-made entertainment in the form of a smartphone, he does not master the world through movement, touch, and his own imagination. For him, there is no need to work to understand the world: the smartphone provides everything in a ready-made form. And this slows down the child’s development,” says Chumakova.

But that's not all. Man is a social being, and preparation for a successful and happy life in society begins with communication within the family, when the child develops attachment relationships. Now smartphones are replacing family closeness and forming pathological types of attachment, which determine cognitive abilities. Live communication with adults who are significant to a child directly affects his ability to learn and learn new things in the future.

Signs of phone addiction

Nomophobia can lead to dizziness, difficulties with orientation in space, increased sweating, heart rhythm disturbances, tremors of the limbs, and discomfort in the chest. Its symptoms become pronounced if a person cannot find his phone for a long time. He may also become very aggressive, fidgety, confused, and behave inappropriately. For a certain period of time he ceases to control himself. He may start throwing all the things in the house, shouting at others - until he finds out where his smartphone went. Other manifestations of mobile phone addiction include:

  • The desire to receive new information by browsing Internet resources. Every free minute the addict starts browsing websites.
  • The desire to have the latest model of the device and decorate it with the help of various original accessories. Thus, a person seems to be trying to demonstrate his “I”. It seems to him that his mobile phone is the best reflection of his unique inner world.
  • Obsessive hallucinations. The patient often feels as if his phone is ringing or vibrating. Even the appearance of calling mania is possible.

Lazy brain

According to the results of a study by scientists Jennifer Stoltz , Jonathan Fugeslang , Gordon Pennycook and Nathaniel Barr from the Canadian University of Waterloo, people with an intuitive type of thinking, who rely more on their instincts and hunches when searching for solutions, are more likely to search for information on the Internet instead of relying on own memory. Thus, they put even less stress on the brain than they could, and their intellect loses its “tone” and becomes more “lazy.” “People skim over information that they actually know or could easily remember, simply because they don’t want to put in the effort to even think about it,” says Pennycook, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a member of the Department of Psychology at University of Waterloo. This study finds a link between excessive smartphone use and cognitive decline. However, Pennycook notes that the question of whether smartphones themselves contribute to irreversible decline in intelligence remains an open question.

“Our dependence on smartphones and other gadgets is undoubtedly increasing,” said Nathaniel Barr, one of the authors of the study. “It’s important to understand exactly how smartphones affect human psychology before we reach the point of no return, when it will be impossible to imagine life without smartphones.” Perhaps we have already achieved it.”

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Causes of the disease

Phone addiction is a disease. This is exactly how psychiatrists and psychologists treat her. It can develop under the influence of various factors:

  • Due to unsatisfactory relationships with close relatives. If a person feels useless and superfluous, he tries to distract himself with something. The easiest way to do this is using the Internet.
  • Due to the dishonest attitude of parents towards their responsibilities. Many modern mothers and fathers give their child a phone almost from birth. The device helps to keep the baby occupied and distracted, giving him the opportunity to take a break from him. While the baby surfs the World Wide Web, mom can calmly do other things. At the same time, she does not have to worry about him swallowing something, falling from somewhere, or simply becoming capricious. But it is precisely because of this attitude to education that a new generation of children is growing up, each time falling into a panic if they do not have a smartphone in their hands.
  • Because of the desire to maintain or regain leadership positions. This happens if an adult held an important position, but then for some reason left the post or changed the type of main activity. Then he loses his usual power over his subordinates and tries to show that he is a good leader in a different way. He becomes an active participant in online chats, conducts a lot of correspondence, and offers his help to new online acquaintances. The more often his phone rings, the happier and more needed he feels.
  • Because of the desire to expand the circle of friends. Hundreds of comrades on social networks are perceived by some as an opportunity for a wide circle of communication. But such interaction is, in fact, not effective and important. The person refuses to think about it. It seems to him that they respect him and make friends with him. Since there are no real real friends nearby with whom he could talk, he directs all his energy to correspondence via the Internet.

Be that as it may, telephone addiction is always in one way or another connected with interpersonal relationships. Therefore, it can be cured using methods of psychology and psychotherapy.

Negative consequences of addiction

An increase in the amount of time spent on a mobile phone has a negative impact on a person’s well-being, health, personal life and psyche. An addiction can have serious consequences if you do not get rid of it in time. It is easier to overcome the craving for your phone if you know about the negative consequences of phone addiction:

  • Decreased performance. Constantly checking emails, SMS messages, playing games - a person wastes time. At work, employees who spend a lot of time on their phones irritate their superiors, do not show business activity, are lazy and lack initiative. It is not surprising that they occupy the same position for many years without receiving a promotion.
  • Restriction of freedom of movement. When the desire to be always in touch online becomes pathological, any unplanned movement in space becomes a disaster for a person. He easily refuses a camping trip, a trip to nature, an exciting trip, if there is no way to recharge his mobile phone or access to the Internet.
  • Health problems. Spending long periods of time with a smartphone deteriorates your posture and affects your eyesight. As a result of stress and constant worries associated with a cell phone, addicts develop headaches, high blood pressure, and nausea.

In addition, according to studies conducted by American scientists, electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones provokes cancer, infertility, and impotence.

  • Insomnia. The habit of falling asleep while holding a cell phone leads to sleep disturbances. The light from the screen stimulates the brain, making it seem to the body that it is not time to go to bed yet.
  • Reducing your social circle. Carried away by changing screensavers on the desktop of your favorite gadget, viewing the news feed and hundreds of other “important” things, a person loses contact with society, the people around him, and friends. Gradually, virtual life displaces real life and the addict practically stops communicating with others.
  • Family breakdown. Just 20-30 years ago, spouses devoted much more time to each other and spent exciting weekends together. Today, even when going on vacation, spouses prefer to spend all their time on a gadget to live communication and romance.

The term nomophobia appeared relatively recently, in 2010, but one can already observe so many negative consequences of the newfound addiction. No one knows what will happen in 10-20 years, what nomophobia will lead to in the future.

Treatment of telephone addiction at the Verimed clinic

Since people started talking about nomophobia only recently, no special methods have been developed to combat it. To help addicts, psychologists and psychiatrists at the Verimed drug treatment clinic use group and individual therapy methods, and conduct sessions of cognitive-behavioral and family psychotherapy.

The specialist finds an individual approach to each addict. Treatment always begins with finding out the person’s personal characteristics and the reasons that led to his strong craving for a telephone. Having determined what caused the problem, the psychotherapist proceeds to fight it. He instills in the patient the correct attitude towards using the phone, teaches him relaxation techniques, and helps him find more interesting activities. Upon completion of treatment for phone addiction in our center, people change their attitude towards gadgets. They begin to understand that real communication with real people is many times more important and enjoyable. If a former patient has some difficulties in life, and he realizes that he is again beginning to immerse himself in the virtual world, then at a convenient time for himself, he can return to the Verimed clinic for psychological help. Call our clinic and make an appointment or call our specialists directly to your home. We are ready to help and support you in difficult times.

Out of sight

In 2020, two American universities - Chicago and Texas - published extremely similar research results: the very presence of a phone next to you reduces the level of cognitive abilities.

The experiment, a joint study between The University of Texas and the McCombs School of Business, involved 800 people. They were asked to put their phone on silent, after which some were allowed to leave it on the table, others were asked to put it in their bag, and still others were asked to take it to another room. Participants then had to solve several problems and tests that required full concentration and mental effort. Those whose phones were out of sight of their owners performed the tasks better. People who admitted to being addicted to a smartphone performed significantly worse when asked to leave the phone on the table or put it in their bag. However, complete isolation from the phone had a beneficial effect on all participants: people (both “addicted” and not) performed tasks better if their phone was taken to another room. The head of the research team, Adrian Ward, an associate professor at the McCombs School of Business, believes that having a smartphone in sight not only distracts a person, but forces them to make extra efforts not to be distracted by it. Thus, intellectual resources that could be used to solve a specific problem are wasted on this “distraction” factor.

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Tests for computer, gaming, telephone and Internet addiction for children and adolescents

User testing helps to identify the first signs of computer, telephone, gaming, and Internet addiction and apply preventive programs in a timely manner.

The simplicity and transparency of the test questions by American psychologist Kimberly Young enable parents to test their teenagers in order to more clearly understand the depth of pathological addiction to the network.

Below, take a look at the internet addiction test.

Kimberly Young test

The test results are assessed on the following scale:

  • 29-49 points - the test taker is free from addiction and has excellent self-control
  • 50-79 points - there are some problems associated with excessive computer use
  • 80-100 points - significant dependence, you may need the help of a specialist (psychologist or even psychotherapist)

The following test is more adapted for diagnosing children and adolescents with computer addiction.

Yuryeva test

How to wean your child from being overly addicted to the computer, phone, tablet: tips

how to wean a child off gadgets
A direct and categorical ban is the simplest and most ineffective solution, leading to conflict between the child and the parent and worsening the problem. A reasonable approach is to teach the child how to treat a computer, phone or tablet and the Internet correctly, to allow the child to use electronic devices, but under parental control and with a time limit.

  1. Together with your child, determine the rules for using the Internet and a computer or phone, determine the amount of time per day for playing, and then strictly adhere to the established rules.
  2. A good assistant in this matter can be special programs that let the user in for a certain time and turn off the computer or phone after it expires.
  3. Offer your child various opportunities for development: sports or creative activities, reading, clubs, walks and games in the fresh air.
  4. If your child is addicted to social networks, talk to him about feelings and relationships between people in real life.
  5. Take your children with you on a visit, have parties at home, support your child or teenager in making real friends and spending time with them.

An excellent means of overcoming computer, telephone, and Internet addiction in children of preschool and primary school age is fairy tale therapy.

  • Find a ready-made fairy tale or come up with your own, so that the plot describes the problematic situation in which the child finds himself.
  • Discuss with your child the behavior and experiences of the main character, the causes of the problem situation and possible ways out of it.
  • This helps the child, subconsciously identifying himself with the main character, to reconsider his behavior.
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