Smartphone Addiction

What is Smartphone
addiction?

Although cell phones, tablets, and laptops can boost productivity, too much use of these devices can disrupt work and school or damage relationships. When you spend more time socializing online or playing games than talking to people face-to-face, or you keep compulsively checking texts, emails, and apps even though it causes problems in your life—it could be time to rethink your relationship with technology.

“Nomophobia,” the fear of being without a cell phone, is often caused by an internet addiction disorder. It’s often not the cell phone use that causes the problem but rather the games, apps, and online life it gives us access to.

Underlying Problems
& Compulsive behavior

Frequently using your smartphone can mean that you’re experiencing other issues, such as stress, anxiety, depression, or loneliness. Unfortunately, it can also make these problems worse.

Often our smartphone use becomes a dependence as a “security blanket” for increased feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and awkwardness in social situations. However, constantly looking at your phone will only result in missing out on face-to-face interactions that could potentially help you connect with others. In actuality, the very solution we rely on to ease these negative emotions is causing more harm than good.

If you find yourself struggling with smartphone addiction, it may be caused by one or more of the following issues with impulse control.

Virtual Relationships

Some people develop mobile phone addiction due to social networking and spend more time talking to their virtual friends online than they do with real people in their lives. It’s not uncommon to see couples out together at a restaurant, but instead of talking to each other, they’re focused on their smartphones. Although you can meet great friends and even potential partners online, real-life interactions are always healthier. Online friendships exist in a sort of bubble where people only share the parts of their lives they want to, instead of messy reality. When someone compulsively uses dating apps, it changes their focus from long-term relationships to short-term hookups.

Information Overload

For many of us, spending too much time online can lead to lower productivity at work or school, as well as isolate us from the people and activities we love. Internet addiction compulsive use of smartphone apps can cause us to neglect other aspects of our lives, including real-world relationships, hobbies, and social pursuits.

Cybersex Addiction

Too much internet pornography, sexting, nude-swapping, or adult messaging can have bad effects on your real-life intimate relationships and mental health. Online porn and cybersex addiction are types of sexual addiction, but the internet makes it more accessible, sometimes anonymous (in some cases), and easy to do. You can spend hours indulging in fantasies that would be difficult or impossible to carry out in real life.

Compulsive Behavior

Addictions to online activities such as gaming, gambling, stock trading, online shopping, or bidding on auction sites can have severe consequences like money troubles or job loss. While gambling addiction has been a documented issue for years now, internet gambling makes it much more accessible and, therefore, potentially damaging. Other compulsions like stock trading or online shopping can be just as harmful financially and socially.

Signs & Symptoms of
Cell Phone Addiction

No set amount of time spent on your phone, how often you check for notifications, or the number of messages sent and received indicates an addiction or overuse problem.

Too much time on your phone becomes a problem when it starts preventing you from engaging in real-life relationships, work, schoolwork, or hobbies. If Facebook is more interesting to you than a conversation with friends during lunchtime or if you can’t help but check your texts while driving or during class lectures, then it might be time to cut back on screen time and have a healthier balance in your life.

Warning Signs of Smartphone Addiction

Trouble Completing Tasks

Is your laundry constantly neglected, and are you running out of food to make dinner because you’re busy talking to friends online, texting, or playing video games? Are you finding that you have to work late more often because you can’t finish your assignments during the day?

Social Isolation

Do you feel like your social life is suffering because of all the time spent on your phone or another device? If you’re in a meeting, do you lose track of what’s being said while checking your phone? Have friends and family expressed concern about how much time is spent on the phone? Do you feel more connected to online friends than anyone in real life?

Concealing Smartphone Addiction

Do you find yourself making up excuses to use your phone in private? Do you get defensive if someone questions how much time you spend online? Does your mobile phone or internet addiction cause you to become noticeably agitated when you experience connection loss or lagging?

Having a “Fear Of Missing Out”

Do you feel anxious or left out if you don’t check your phone regularly? Do you compulsively check social media because you’re worried that others are having more fun than you are? Do you get up at night to look at your phone?

Social Anxiety

Do you ever feel anxious if your smartphone is not with you? Or do you get phantom vibrations, where you think your phone has vibrated, but there are no new messages or updates?

Negative Consequences of
Smartphone Addiction on Mental Health

Increasing Loneliness and Depression

Although it may seem like immersing yourself in the online world will make negative emotions disappear, research has found that it can actually intensify feelings of loneliness and depression. When avid social media users compare themselves to their peers, they often feel inferior, which leads to further insecurity.

Fueling Anxiety

According to a recent study having your phone with you at work might make you feel more anxious and have trouble concentrating. The research also showed that the heavier someone’s phone dependency, the worse their anxiety levels were.

Increasing Stress

Constantly needing to check and respond to work emails on your smartphone blurs the lines between your personal and professional life. You might start to feel like you’re never really off from work, which could lead to higher stress levels and even burnout.

Exacerbating Attention Deficit Disorders

A never-ending flow of texts and news from a smartphone confuses the brain, making it impossible to focus on any one thing for more than a couple minutes without feeling urged to move on to another topic.

GABA Dysfunction

Chronic phone overuse alters the brain’s reward circuits similarly to ways seen in drug addiction. It primarily affects the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) along with dopemine. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that produces a calming or euphoric effect. It can even control fear and anxiety. The inhibitor plays a significant role in addiction by rewarding substance use and reinforcing addictive behaviors.

Decrease In Grey Matter

The brain’s grey matter is responsible for an individual’s ability to control movement, memory, and emotions. Studies show that phone addiction can lead to a shrinkage of grey matter in key areas of the brain, similar to what is seen in people with substance abuse disorders.

Diminishing Deep Thought or Creativity

Constantly having your smartphone go off with a notification can interfere with getting work done and hinder your ability to think creatively or solve problems. These days, we’re never really alone because we’re always connected to the internet.

Disturbed Sleep

If you’re using your smartphone excessively, it impacts not only the quality of your sleep but also your mental health as a whole. Your memory, cognition, and learning skills can all be affected by disrupted sleep patterns.

Encouraging Self-Absorption

Studies have found increased negative personality traits, such as narcissism, in those who spend excessive time on social media. Engrossing yourself in virtual relationships by posting too much about your life creates a dangerous self-centeredness that can distance you from healthy real-life connections and make it harder to cope with stress.

Is Smartphone Addiction
a Mental Illness

Pathological phone overuse has given rise to a variety of new terminologies, such as:

• nomophobia: the fear of being without your cell phone
• textaphrenia: the fear of an inability to send or receive text messages
• phantom vibrations: the feeling of your phone alerting you when it isn’t

There’s no denying that excessive cell phone use is a real problem for many people. In fact, compulsive gambling is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a behavioral addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It’s worth noting that there are important similarities between cell phone addiction and other behavioral addictions like compulsive gambling, including:

• Loss of control over the behavior
• Needing to engage in a behavior more often to get the same feeling
• Severe negative consequences stemming from the behavior
• Withdrawal, irritability, or anxiety when the behavior isn’t practiced
• Continuous relapse after periods of avoidance

Cell Phone
Addiction Treatment

Therapies Through a Smartphone Addiction Treatment Center

If you feel like you’re addicted to your smartphone or the internet, there are now treatment centers that offer digital detox programs. These specialized programs can help you disconnect from digital media and give you the tools you need to control your technology use. Psyclarity Health treatment centers are perfectly equipped to help you focus on recovery from your cell phone addiction.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Step-by-step, cognitive behavioral therapy can help you end compulsive behaviors and change your views concerning your smartphone adiction and the internet. In addition, therapy can show you more positive ways of dealing with adverse emotions—for instance, stress, anxiety, or depression—that might be propelling your heavy use of a smartphone.

Family or Couples Counseling

Different families experience different benefits from family counseling, but some of the most common ones include setting healthy boundaries, communicating better, and addressing negative interactions. If internet pornography or online affairs are causing problems in a romantic relationship, couples counseling can help work through these issues and reconnect partners.

Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions provide a forum for individuals in recovery to discuss their experiences and progress related to various issues. Some groups focus on specifics, such as depression, obesity, panic disorder, social anxiety, chronic pain, or substance abuse, while others take a more general approach by concentrating on helping people develop social skills and manage different issues like anger management, loneliness, and low self-esteem. Group therapy can also be helpful for individuals who have gone through a loss, like the death of a loved one. One of the most beneficial advantages of group therapy is that members can support each other and offer helpful feedback based on their own experiences.

Self-help Tips for Enhancing Your Cell Phone Addiction Treatment

While you can start many of these steps by yourself, smartphone addiction is hard to fight alone since temptation is always close by. It’s easy to revert to old patterns, so look for help from family, friends, or professional support. The more you understand these cell phone addiction treatment methods, the easier it will be to give up bad habits and have control over your time again.

Recognizing Triggers That Make You Reach for Your Phone

If you find yourself using your smartphone as a crutch to deal with depression, stress, or anxiety, for example, it may be time to explore other and more effective methods of managing these moods. Try exploring relaxation techniques instead.

Understanding In-Person vs. Online Interaction

When you speak to someone in person, it can make you feel calmer and more secure than if you communicate through text or messaging. This is because interacting face-to-face allows us to pick up on nonverbal cues that help us understand the other person better.

Building Your Coping Skills

Twitter, texting, and blogging might be your way of managing stress or anger. Or you could find it simpler to communicate with people online than in real life because you have difficulty connecting with others. If so, fortifying these skills will assist you in handling the challenges and day-to-day pressures of life without needing to use your smartphone as a crutch.

Recognizing Any Underlying Problems

If you have had issues with alcohol or drugs in the past, take some time to think about any possible underlying reasons for your cell phone addiction. By recognizing these compulsions, you can establish better boundaries for your usage. A great way to start is by distancing yourself from social media platforms or anything on your phone that reminds you of how you used to abuse substances.

Strengthening Your Support Network

Putting effort into maintaining relationships with friends and family has many benefits for your health. You can try to reach out to others that have similar interests by joining a club or volunteering somewhere. Forming friendships will come more naturally this way, and it will also improve your life quality and overall health in general.

Don’t Bring Your Cell Phone or Tablet to Bed

To get a good night’s sleep, avoid using screens for at least two hours before bedtime. Instead of reading eBooks on your electronic devices, go old-school and read an actual book; not only will you sleep better, but research shows that you’ll also remember more of what you’ve read.

Don’t Let Mobile Phone
Addiction Win

Although cell phones are helpful inventions, they also can cause numerous problems, especially for kids and young adults. There is still ongoing research into all of the ways that using your phone excessively can be harmful to you. However, as more research comes out linking cell phone use with health problems, it is crucial to take measures now.

If you or somebody close to you is consumed by cell phone addiction, do not hesitate to get help. You can take various steps in order to achieve recovery. For example, try implementing a “phone detox” plan where usage is limited to a certain amount of time each day. If this doesn’t work for you or the person struggling, then at least bring awareness to the issue and track behavior as best as possible.

When to
Seek Help

If you’re worried about your phone usage or if the people in your life have commented on it, don’t hesitate to seek help. Addiction and dependence can be difficult to handle alone, so asking for assistance is always a good idea.

Reach out to us if you need help or information about our treatment programs. Psyclarity Health is here to help.