Cell Phone Fear (Nomophobia): Effects, Symptoms, Treatments, Tips

Fear of the cell phone or nomophobia , as it is known by specialists, is arelatively new anxiety disorder: it is characterized by an exaggerated fear of being deprived of a mobile phone. To the point of being able to cause, in certain cases, true panic attacks.

Effects of nomophobia

• Nomophobia (contraction of “non-mobile phobia”) is both a “classic” phobia and an addiction.
• Indeed, the nomophobe suffers from a true dependence on his mobile phone, to the point of having developed the phobia of being deprived of it: he is scared at the idea of ​​losing it, of breaking it, he is very afraid of being robbed.
• Your phobia can also manifest itself when your phone’s battery drains, when you are in an area without a network, or when one of your favorite applications refuses to work.
• Nomophobia can be a source of psychological suffering for the affected person and for those around him.
• It can even represent a physical danger, when the nomophobe does not resist sending an SMS, while driving, for example.

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Symptoms

In case of nomophobia, one finds symptoms of mobile phone addiction:

• The subject consults his telephone very often, wherever he is, the guard open and on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, suffers from a real lack when he does not have access to his telephone.
• You may also prefer to communicate on the phone rather than meet people. These symptoms are aggravated by the most characteristic symptoms of phobias .

The nomophobic person can implement avoidance strategies to never be deprived of a mobile phone:

• You always have your charger with you, avoid places without a network or that do not allow you to exploit the full power of your smartphone (for example, the presence of a wi-fi network is one of your main criteria for choosing a vacation rental), has an alternate phone in case of anything.
• You can also experience an anxiety attack if you are deprived of the phone, with tremors, rapid heartbeat, sweating, feeling of suffocation, etc.

The causes

• Nomophobia has been on the rise since the advent of smartphones, allowing you to be permanently connected to the world through the Internet and social networks.
• For nomophobics, the anguish of being deprived of their phone rather symbolizes the fear of being isolated, isolated from the world.
• Boredom can also be a possible cause of mobile addiction and nomophobia (the subject increasingly plays on his mobile to pass the time).

Treatment

• In case of mild nomophobia, it is possible to wean, closing the phone a little more each day, forcing yourself to leave it at home.
• However, more severe nomophobia may require psychological attention, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.