Thanks to social media, youngsters these days are developing a serious mental condition called Selficide. New Delhi has reported many cases of selficide as the patient seemed to be developing body issues and anxiety, to the point that it became an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
One such case is that of a Delhi University girl who came to AIIMS for a nose surgery. However, she was promptly sent to the psychiatry ward, because she was suffering from 'body dysmorphic disorder'. As per this disorder, a person develops some distorted opinions about their body and looks. Because of this, they constantly upload selfies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, in order to get ‘likes’.
This turns into an obsession. The obsession is such that students have started neglecting their studies and meals. They deliberately stay hungry in order to appear good in their selfies.
Even the Ganga Ram Hospital in the city has witnessed many such cases too. Due to selficide, the patient increasingly becomes obsessed with their looks and constantly tries to get validation from the internet. Such a person will forever be looking at themselves in the mirror or their front cameras.
Their parents have said that once they took their kids’ phones, they started behaving irrationally. Doctors have said that this is one of the many new lifestyle diseases. Apart from insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, stress, depression, headaches, fatigue, people are now also getting increasingly insecure about their bodies.
They have further added that the signs of this disorder are so subtle that most people suffering from this don't even realise it.The American Psychological Association (APA) has said that about 60% of Americans have this disorder and they don't know it.
Doctors say that the selfie trend has been on a rise since the last 2-3 years. And with more and more celebrities taking selfies day in and day out, it has only made the matters worse.
We need to stop being so dependent on our smart phones and seeking validation from strangers on the internet. This world already suffers from too many disorders, we don’t need another one.
