Addicted to your phone? You might be suffering from Nomophobia or WhatsAppititis!

The emergence of social networking and rapid advancement in technology has made us a metaphorical slave to our gadgets. But, now that the dependence has transcended into an obsession, doctors have identified numerous physical as well as psychological disorders associated with the ‘Internet Age’.

Here are a few that you might hear about soon:

# Nomophobia: Have you ever panicked because you were not carrying your phone? If you don’t, great. But there are plenty of people out there who experience intense anxiety when they are separated from their cell phone. Psychologists have termed this as Nomophobia.

#Selfitis: The name explains everything. We all know that one person who is obsessed with taking selfies every two minutes. This compulsive need to click selfies has given way to Selfitis. In India alone, this selfie addiction has become a grave problem with 19 recorded deaths while clicking a selfie.

# WhatsAppititis and Twitter and Facebook Addiction Disorder (TFAD): Use of social networking has become an addiction at par with the likes of smoking or alcoholism. While WhatsAppititis is addiction to messaging app Whatsapp, TFAD is overuse of Twitter and Facebook.

# Tech-Neck: The physical pain that arises due to improper posture while using cell phones, tablets or while using the computer has been dubbed as tech-neck. This refers to the position most of us can be found in with our phones- head hanging low, shoulders hunched and eyes glued to the screens. Doctors have attributed tech-neck to cause physical deformities and ailments, especially among people of the corporate world.

# FOMO: Have you ever come across this word or hashtag? If not, let us fill you in. FOMO is an abbreviation of Fear of missing out. Sounds silly right? However, did you know that six percent of the world’s population is addicted to the internet? Since a majority of people have become consumers of information through the medium of the internet, a fear or anxiety of being absent from all the latest happenings on the internet has transformed into an actual disorder.

Although some the above disorders may sound trivial, they have a considerable impact on our lives. But technology can’t be blamed alone. Poor lifestyle choices too play a significant role. And studies have identified that these choices might be symptoms for more grave conditions like depression, OCD or ADHD.

So, log out of your social accounts, put your gadgets to rest and take a break from the internet for while.

P.S: We know you’re glued to your screen at the moment too. So now might as well be a good time to start for a break