At present, China’s cell phone users have exceeded 420 million, and the usage rate of cell phones in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities has reached almost 100%. 2007 is expected to exceed 520 million cell phone users nationwide. In the information era, cell phones have become people’s closest friends and are being favored by more and more people and used more and more widely. However, the frequent use of cell phones for a long time can invariably affect people’s health and bring stress, trouble and even disease and disaster to our life.
I. Concept
Cell phone dependence syndrome, also known as cell phone syndrome, cell phone addiction refers to the obsessive state in which an individual’s physiological, psychological and social functions are significantly impaired because of the out-of-control behavior of using cell phones.
II. Epidemiology
Clinically, it is found that people who are withdrawn and do not get along with others are more likely to have cell phone addiction, and there are also people who are particularly stressed at work and under pressure. These people are under a lot of stress at work, and cell phones can induce this anxiety at any time, because these people always feel that the phone will give him orders at any time, and it is easy to produce stimulation, making it produce anxiety, a kind of expectation, or a more serious psychological conflict, which is equivalent to a kind of contributing factor. Many people have this condition, but some are heavy, some are light, some may be very serious, but he does not realize it. In short, cell phone addiction is a psychological disease, the majority of patients are white-collar workers, and some people’s lives and health have been seriously affected.
Third, the mechanism of addiction
People who suffer from cell phone addiction have a receptor in their body that reacts to certain stimuli, such as mobilizing endorphins in their body. There was an experiment done: a needle was stuck in the monkey’s head connected to a catheter, and as soon as the monkey pressed a button, a substance that could cause it to get excited was automatically fed into its body, and as a result, the monkey kept pressing the button. This experiment shows that as long as there is a substance that can mobilize endorphins in the body, we will instinctively seek out this substance and become addicted.
Cell phone addiction, in fact, is a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder, the onset of which is similar to the compulsion to always check the doors, windows, gas and lights.
IV. Clinical manifestations
Cell phone addiction mainly has the following manifestations.
1. Anxiety, depression, and fear: Patients must carry their cell phones around with them every day and feel their presence at all times. Every few minutes, they want to check their cell phones for new messages or calls, and they rush to check their own cell phones when someone else’s phone rings. Even if there is nothing going on, you have to make several calls on your phone before you can carry out your normal work. If you can’t use the phone, you will show anxiety, wander aimlessly, somehow lose your temper with your subordinates or colleagues, and can’t concentrate on your own things; you will be depressed, full of sadness and downcast, thinking that you are bound to achieve nothing, maybe today is unlucky, you can’t always succeed in doing things, so you can’t do anything; you are afraid of losing contact with the outside world, and prepare several cell phones around you.
2, somatic symptoms: such as can be accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, severe cases will appear near-death feeling, headache, dizziness, body pain hands and feet numbness and other uncomfortable feelings. Cell phones and most household appliances, like radiation, and internal organs for a long time exposed to radiation under, may also appear fatigue. People are often accustomed to put the phone in the waist or hanging on the chest, radiation through the phone into people’s bodies, the situation is likely to make organs heat up, causing varying degrees of damage to people’s blood, organs. In particular, it will also affect the reproductive function of people, men and women of childbearing age should pay particular attention. With the development of cell phone technology, the cell phone screen from the initial monochrome to the current color screen, the game types also developed rapidly. As a result, the cell phone is not just a communication tool, people’s use of cell phones from “listening” gradually changed to “see”. Therefore, the phenomenon of eye fatigue caused by prolonged use of cell phones is becoming more and more common. The main symptoms are dryness, blurriness and even pain in the eyes. Now many children in the growth period also have cell phones, long time use of cell phones, it is easy to cause myopia. And young people with excessive eye strain, wrinkles may also soon creep up on the cheeks, giving the impression of aging before aging.
Cell phone addiction is not only harmful to the body, but also has an impact on daily life and work, resulting in physical and mental exhaustion.
V. Diagnosis
If you turn off your phone now and don’t open it again within 24 hours, do you fidget, get anxious or even fearful? If so, then you probably already suffer from cell phone addiction, which is a physical and mental health problem caused by cell phones.
You can be diagnosed with cell phone addiction if you have 3 of the following symptoms.
1.If your cell phone has no signal or the signal is weak, you will become irritable and restless;
2, the phone is not in the service area fidgeting;
3.Sleep with the phone on;
4, always check to see if the phone is automatically turned off;
5, often feel that the phone is ringing, in the vibration, but take out to see and not.
Cell phone is a double-edged sword, with a dual nature. Just like drugs, it can be used for clinical pain relief, but also can make people addicted to degenerate, in fact, the criteria for determining cell phone addiction more than the above-mentioned, there may be many, but in short, should be reflected in three aspects: one is the abuse of cell phones, should not be used when also used frequently; two is too much cell phones affect life, work and study; three is downtime or cell phones are not around, the body will appear a series of uncomfortable reactions, including psychological and physical reactions. including psychological and physical reactions.
Six, treatment
1, first of all, to maintain a good state of mind, learn to relax, relaxed. The world is colorful, we have a variety of ways to contact with the outside world, do not have to stick to a way.
2, to develop their own communication skills, more and real people to contact, improve their character defects, and friends to play together, embrace nature.
3, there is a psychological treatment called systematic desensitization can be tried, in every day to give themselves a certain time not to use the phone, must use the phone when the use of sitting machine. Slowly extend the time when the phone is not around, you can receive good results.
4, divert attention, read more books, read the newspaper, can be diverted from the phone.
5, if necessary, you can ask a psychologist to design a treatment for yourself, or with some anti-anxiety, anti-depression medication.
The cell phone brings convenience to your life, makes you run a lot less, and feel quite comfortable in life every day, which is the standard of reasonable use of cell phone. In fact, there is no problem with the phone itself, it’s us who have the problem. The best things should be used in moderation, we can’t say that good things we can use without limit and without control. In fact, this is not only the case of cell phones, when the network came out, when the computer came out, including the game machine came out, have experienced the process of use, dependence, abuse.