But is nomophobia a real phobia? Moreover, should it be referred to as a mental illness at all?
More than half of the U.S. population alone owns a smartphone. The Middle East region may soon catch up with this number since its mobile penetration growth rate is one of the world’s fastest. This mobile trend has turned our gadgets into dear friends to which we turn whenever we feel bored or whenever we want to find some piece of information online. Consumers have become dependent on these devices and it seems almost natural that just the thought of losing their phone would make them feel uneasy. But again, does it really deserve to be called a phobia?
No matter how you feel about that, psychology experts will be those who will get to answer that question. If nomophobia is added to the official list of mental disorders, it will most probably be described as a subtype of specific phobia similar to other anxieties like fear of heights, snakes, clowns and etc. In order that to happen, however, scientists have to agree that people affected by nomophobia are not able to function normally due to their extreme anxiety.
Other modern-day “illnesses” which might also receive DSM’s attention include Internet addiction disorder (IAD), binge-watching, computer addition, information addiction, television addition and video game addiction.
