The term Nomophobia is used to describe a
psychological condition when people have a fear of being detached from mobile
phone connectivity. The term Nomophobia has been labelled as a “phobia for
a particular/specific things”. The term, an abbreviation for
“no-mobile-phone phobia,” was first coined during a 2008 study by the
UK Post Office who commissioned YouGov, a UK-based research organization, to
evaluate anxieties suffered by mobile phone users.

Various psychological factors are involved
when a person overuses the mobile phone, for example, low self-esteem, an extrovert
personality. The burden of this problem is now increasing globally. Other
mental disorders like social phobia or social anxiety, and panic disorder may
also precipitate Nomophobic symptoms. It is very difficult to differentiate
whether the patient becomes Nomophobic due to mobile phone addiction or
existing anxiety disorders manifest as Nomophobic symptoms.

The signs and symptoms are observed in
Nomophobia cases include- anxiety, respiratory alterations, trembling,
perspiration, agitation, disorientation and tachycardia. Nomophobia may also
act as a proxy for other disorders. So, we have to be very judicious regarding
its diagnosis. Some mental disorders can precipitate Nomophobia also and vice
versa. The complexity of this condition is very challenging to the patients’
family members as well as for the physicians as Nomophobia shares common
clinical symptoms with other disorders. That is why Nomophobia should be
diagnosed by exclusion. We have to stay in the real world more than the virtual
world. We have to re-establish the human-human interactions, face to face
connections. So, we need to limit our use of mobile phones rather than banning
it because we cannot escape the force of technological advancement.

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