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Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Psychiatrist say mobile phone addiction is an obsessive-compulsive disorder which looks set to become one of the biggest non-drug additions of in the 21st century.
According to Fox News, 212 million carried cell phones as of April 2006. Making them known as "the new cigarettes" in regards to addition.
The constant infatuation to make calls, text message, or browse the internet at any free moment is causing a growing concern.
In 2003, information-science professor Sergio Chaparro wanted to test out just how deeply cell phones had insinuated themselves into the lives of his students at Rutger University in New Jersey.
He gave them a seemingly simple homework assignment: turn off their cell phones for 72 hours. Of 220 students with cell phones, only three could bring themselves to complete the assignment.
Studies show that individuals who have developed a dependences for cell phones experience a high levels of anxiety, stress, and insecurity.
"I firmly believe that cell phone use, as with anything that is a behavior in life, can turn into an addiction, and the way I would define addiction in a clinical sense is any behavior in which a person becomes dependent to the detriment of an important part of their lives," said Christopher Kippers, an assessment specialist at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Are you addicted to your cell phone?
According to Fox News, 212 million carried cell phones as of April 2006. Making them known as "the new cigarettes" in regards to addition.
The constant infatuation to make calls, text message, or browse the internet at any free moment is causing a growing concern.
In 2003, information-science professor Sergio Chaparro wanted to test out just how deeply cell phones had insinuated themselves into the lives of his students at Rutger University in New Jersey.
He gave them a seemingly simple homework assignment: turn off their cell phones for 72 hours. Of 220 students with cell phones, only three could bring themselves to complete the assignment.
Studies show that individuals who have developed a dependences for cell phones experience a high levels of anxiety, stress, and insecurity.
"I firmly believe that cell phone use, as with anything that is a behavior in life, can turn into an addiction, and the way I would define addiction in a clinical sense is any behavior in which a person becomes dependent to the detriment of an important part of their lives," said Christopher Kippers, an assessment specialist at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Are you addicted to your cell phone?
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