The Nomophobia

NOMOPHOBIA
powered by Drip Studio

Nomophobia: The Fear of Being without your Phone

Have you ever found yourself getting anxious or even panicked when you couldn't find your phone? Does the thought of being stranded in an isolated place with no cellular service fill you with a sense of dread? If so, you just might have some of the symptoms of nomophobia.

What exactly is this phobia?

Nomophobia is an abbreviated form of "no-mobile-phone phobia." The term was first coined in a 2008 study that was commissioned by the UK Postal Office. In a sample of more than 2,100 adults, the study indicated that 53% of participants experienced nomophobia. The condition is characterized by feelings of anxiety when people lose their phones, run out of battery life, or have no cellular coverage.
The study revealed that this fear can be so powerful that many people never turn off their phones, even at night or during times that they won't be using their devices.1 When asked why they never turn off their phones, 55% cited a need to keep in touch with family and friends, 10% said they needed to be contactable for work reasons, and 9% reported that turning off their phones made them anxious.
The fear of missing out on something is perhaps what leads so many people to report that they would respond to a call or text even if they are in the middle of something else. The study revealed that people were often willing to interrupt life activities in order to respond to a call. The majority of people (80%) were willing to answer a call while watching television, 40% would respond to a call while eating a meal, and 18% would be willing to answer the phone when they were in bed with another person.

How can you tell you have this phobia?

While nomophobia is not a clinical diagnosis, some of the symptoms that are commonly identified as related to this fear include:

• - The inability to turn off your phone
• - Constantly checking your phone for missed messages, emails, or calls
• - Charging your battery even when your phone is almost fully charged
• - Taking your phone with you everywhere you go, even into the bathroom
• - Repeatedly checking to make sure that you have your phone
• - Fear of being without Wifi or being able to connect to a cellular data network
• - Worrying about negative things happening and not being able to call for help
• - Stress over being disconnected from one’s online presence or identity
• - Skipping activities or planned events in order to spend time on the mobile device.

• What are some characteristics of this phobia?

• In a 2015 study, researchers identified some key dimensions of nomophobia.3 The fear of being without a phone center on:

  • Not being able to communicate with others
  • Feeling generally disconnected
  • Not being able to access information
  • Giving up a convenience

  People with this phobia check their phones constantly, take their phones everywhere they go (including the shower and bathroom), spend many hours per day using their phones, and experience feelings of helplessness when they are separated from their phones.

• What are the causes of this phobia?

• 
  
  
  1. Usefulness for daily tasks
• 2. Amount of use each day.
• 3. Familiarity with Technology.

How to treat this phobia?

Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a behavioral technique in which you will learn to gradually face your fears. In the case of nomophobia, you will progressively get used to going without your phone. You might start very small (like leaving your phone in another room for a certain amount of time) and then progressively work your way up to longer periods of time without your phone (such as leaving it home while you go to the store or turning it off while you are busy doing something else).

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a process that involves addressing the negative and irrational thought patterns that contribute to maladaptive behaviors. Your therapist will help you learn to identify these ways of thinking and replace these thoughts with more realistic and rational ones.
For example, rather than thinking that you are going to miss out on something of vital importance if you don’t check your phone for messages every few minutes, CBT will help remind you that you aren’t likely to miss anything as long as you check your phone occasionally.

Medications
While there is no FDA-approved medication for the treatment of nomophobia, your doctor or psychiatrist may prescribe anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants to address some of your symptoms. Selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Lexapro, Zoloft, and Paxil are often used as first-line treatments for anxiety and depression.

Lastly

Nomophobia is a growing problem along with other fears and behavioral addictions tied to technology use. Given how reliant many people are on their mobile phones for work, school, news, entertainment, and social connectedness, it can be an incredibly difficult problem to overcome.

Stopping cell phone use entirely is not realistic, but learning how to set limits and boundaries on how much you allow your phone to control your life can help. Taking an occasional break from your phone, engaging in activities separate from your phone, and finding distractions to keep you busy rather than mindlessly playing on your phone are all good places to start.

AUTHOR - Suvankar Das