The mania for taking photographic self-portraits with or without reason seems to have consumed a good half of the residents of megacities, and indeed everyone who has a smartphone with a camera. It would seem that there is nothing strange in the desire to take a self-portrait. Rembrandt, Aivazovsky, Bosch, and many other famous artists depicted themselves on canvases, but no one even thinks of condemning them, much less declaring them mentally ill. But you must admit that modern self-portraits, which are fascinating chronicles of everyday life, cannot be compared with the most modest claims of artists.

Endless photographs of their loved ones from different angles and filters give people the opportunity to create an image of their ideal self. Photography has long ceased to be a way to capture important moments in life, since now absolutely everything is photographed and not just like that, but with the intention of showing oneself to people on social networks. The spontaneity of this phenomenon alarmed many experts, and scientists from the American Psychiatric Association came to the conclusion that the “selfie” is nothing more than a mental disorder. Although a remark needs to be made here. This psychiatric association "Adobo Chronicles" is unofficial and specializes in incredible news and discoveries, approximately on the level of the now legendary British scientists. But lack of recognition by official science does not mean the absence of a problem or disease. Conversations on the topic of “selfies” have reached Russia. Psychologists from Perm, who give the most adequate judgments to the world, were especially interested in studying this issue.

Indeed, both in Russia and abroad, the regular desire to take self-portraits is recognized as an obsessive-compulsive mental disorder. In itself, this disorder is most often not clinical in nature, but is definitely a deviation from the norm. It expresses the presence of a certain obsessive state/thoughts or obsessions, which are resolved through certain ritual actions - compulsions. In the case of selfies, everything is quite transparent.

What motivates people to take self-portraits? Narcissism, thirst for recognition and attention, the need to make one's life presentable. A series of selfies can be compared to a trailer for a bad movie, which contains the best moments to entice viewers. But selfie mania, like any other obsessive-compulsive disorder, has different stages. Thus, the episodic nature of the disorder can be acceptable for absolutely any person. Everyone sometimes experiences obsessive states, and if a person resolves them by taking a “selfie,” then there is nothing criminal about it. But the disorder takes on a completely different character in the chronic and progressive stage, which in the “selfie” story can be expressed in daily photographing of oneself. Psychologists have concluded that a person who takes more than six “selfies” a day needs quite serious treatment, at least a course of psychocorrection.

Returning to the causes of the disorder, let us note that each of them is in one way or another characteristic of people with low or unstable self-esteem. “Selfie” is a dependence not only on the opinions of others, but also on your own opinion about yourself. Photographs in a favorable light sometimes force people to mistakenly consider themselves slightly different people, to wishful thinking. What lengths do people go to in order to give their lives the appearance of what is happening!

Treatment of “selfie” as a mental disorder, if it exists, of course, should occur with the help of psychotherapy and a rather intensive procedure. As for the mass trend, psychologists have no opinion on this matter; only a few of them call complete disposal of mobile phones the only true treatment for “selfie” addiction. When photographing yourself again, think not about the angle or filter, but about why you need it.

27 Feb 2018

How often do you take selfies? Most likely, you have friends who fill your Instagram feed every day with new selfies from all sorts of cafes and bars, shopping centers and sports grounds.

Do you think it’s normal to take pictures of yourself several times daily and post them on social networks?

If we turn to the history of photographic self-portraits, it will lead us to the 1900s, when the first portable cameras appeared. Back then, people took photos of themselves while standing in front of a mirror. However, it was not as popular as it is today.

The selfie found new life in the early 2000s, when young people began to meet en masse on social networks and exchange pictures. But the selfie really became iconic in 2012. From that moment on, only the lazy did not do this.

However, this trend gradually began to cause public concern. In 2015 alone, several dozen deaths were recorded. People have died trying to take selfies on bridges, train tracks, rooftops, and even while driving.

However, this is not all. Psychiatrists have shown serious concern about self-mania. The research lasted several years, as a result of which the American Psychiatric Association recognized selfie as a mental disorder.

This disorder was called selfitis and classified as obsessive-compulsive. Psychiatrists explained the desire to take photographs of themselves and share photos on social networks as a way to increase self-esteem and compensate for the lack of intimacy.

The American Psychiatric Association has even defined three levels of this disorder:

borderline: taking photographs of oneself several times a day without subsequent posting on social networks;

sharp: several photos a day with mandatory publication on social networks;

chronic: an uncontrollable desire to take selfies around the clock and post them on social networks many times a day.

Moreover, more recently, psychiatrists have also found that regularly posting selfies from the gym or jogging is a serious mental illness called narcissistic personality disorder.

Still want to share selfies on your Instagram or like photos of your friends? Then you should seriously think about your mental health.

Since the front camera appeared in modern gadgets, the concept of selfie has burst into our everyday life. It would seem that what is dangerous about this? Just think, people are taking self-portraits and posting them on social networks for everyone to see. But this phenomenon, which has already become widespread, has attracted the attention of scientists. Experts from the American Psychiatric Association have concluded that excessive selfism is a mental disorder bordering on exhibitionism and narcissism.

Russian psychotherapist M. Sandomirsky warns that this morbid hobby is typical of individuals with low self-esteem and inferiority complexes.

There are several stages of the modern type of mental disorder.

Stages of selfism

· Episodic

- when people take pictures of “their loved ones” three times a day, but do not post all the photos on the Internet.

Progressive

- three or more photographs are taken and subsequently published on the Internet.

Chronic

- the number of selfies posted per day starts at six and has no limit.

What caused the development of widespread narcissism in society? What is the root of the problem that makes some even risk their lives for the next shot with the front camera? There are several opinions on this matter.

1. Self-affirmation

The development of technology has only exacerbated man's need for recognition by other individuals. This need existed before, but now, when modern technologies allow people to express themselves online, the problem has worsened. A person uses the development of technology to evolve his own narcissism by advertising himself through social networks. And likes and comments only spur him on to new “feats.”

2. Self-knowledge

According to neuroscientist James Kilner from London, the widespread spread of selfism demonstrates a person’s desire to know himself, to see from the outside. During the day, people see the faces of others much more often than they see their own image, so selfies are a way to look at your face in different circumstances and angles. And the fact that before posting a photo of himself on the Internet, a person edits it in the appropriate programs only speaks of dissatisfaction with what he saw and a desire to fit himself into the stereotypical framework of society.

Be that as it may, at this stage selfism is recognized as a mental disorder. But this is not critical if you simply use modern technologies without fanaticism. Selfies can remain a tribute to fashion, and not a disease, if you simply observe moderation, as in any other hobby.

Good photography is pleasing to the eye and truly is true art. The photographer chooses the angle, the composition, takes a whole series of pictures with different settings in order to choose one single brilliant shot. Such photographs are treasured and rare.

The modern virtual world is oversaturated with photographs of a different kind, in which a person photographs himself. This modern phenomenon is called selfie.

Selfie: what is it?

Selfie is a term that describes the process of taking photographs of oneself and then posting these pictures on social networks. You can take a selfie by holding out your hand with a camera, taking a photo of yourself in a mirror image, or using special selfie devices that resemble long tubes.

The selfie craze has captured young people relatively recently and has turned into a real boom. Young people spend a lot of time looking for a special angle. Selfies have turned into an unannounced competition on the Internet: better, higher, more interesting, more original. In an attempt to surprise others, young men and women often cross the boundaries of decency and safety. Selfies often range from downright inappropriate to completely extreme photos.

Selfie aficionados can spend hours choosing the exact angle they think makes them look their best. Choosing a pose takes a lot of time. Selfie lovers can take more than 200 photos in one session and not be satisfied with the result, or they can be so in love with every turn of their head that both the process of photographing and the process of viewing photos turns into narcissism.

What are the dangers of taking selfies?

Let's imagine the selfie process itself.

• Situation 1. A young girl takes a selfie. In his outstretched hand is a mobile phone. Clothes, facial expressions, poses, turns, angles change. After a few days, there is simply no place left in the apartment where photographs have not been taken. The need for photographs remains, and the most unexpected places are used: the bathroom, toilet, closet. Needless to say about the options for clothing, hairstyles, and cosmetics. Selfie craze prompts unexpected actions, including nudity.
• Situation 2. A young man is trying to attract attention by taking a selfie. He understands that the usual angle will not attract attention to him and the search for the background leads to extreme actions such as taking photos at high altitude, in a fall, at speed, near wild animals, etc.

The options for choosing subjects for photography are different, but the purpose of these photos is the same - to attract attention.

Just recently, the global network was stunned by stunning news: British scientist David Veal identified the selfie hobby as a group of mental disorders, identifying two reasons for this hobby:

1. Narcissism;
2. Extreme self-doubt.

Psychiatric associations in European countries also recognize excessive selfie-taking as a mental disorder. In official literature, selfies are described as a person’s desire to constantly take photographs of himself and make these photos public – publish them on social networks. A person cannot resist this desire, so he constantly takes and publishes up to 6-10 pictures daily.

At the same time, psychiatrists distinguish several stages of this disorder:

• The first stage is borderline, manifested in photographing oneself at least three times a day without the constant desire to publish pictures on the Internet.
• The second stage is acute, characterized by several auto photo shoots a day with their publication on social networks.
• The third stage is chronic, the hallmark of which is an uncontrollable desire to take photographs of oneself and publish them on the Internet.

An interesting fact is that the process of life and the impressions of it become unimportant to people. Secondary impressions from photographs come to the fore, which most often overpower the primary ones.

The desire to constantly photograph yourself can cause narcissism, a mental disorder characterized by constant self-admiration. Young people do not control their desires to admire themselves, examining their body parts in various poses and angles. Narcissism crosses internal boundaries and begins to demand that others admire their appearance, for which purpose they constantly publish pictures on social networks.

However, the competition for pictures on the Internet is quite high. The narcissist requires constant photo updates to keep him in the spotlight. Moreover, both the number of these photographs and their originality are taken into account.

Narcissism is fueled by constant attention, which is expressed in ratings, likes, and comments on social networks. The more positive ratings, the more self-esteem the “selfie-narcissist” will enjoy.

But if attention and narcissism begin to be determined by numerical indicators, then there is a need to constantly increase these numbers. However, the increase in the number of views and likes cannot be endless, which means that self-esteem will suffer from dissatisfaction and lack of recognition from others.

Selfie-narcissism is characterized by an uncontrollable desire to attract attention to oneself, in the pursuit of positive evaluations and admiration from others.

Selfie dysmorphophobia

This is the fundamental opposite of narcissism. A person with body dysmorphic disorder is extremely dissatisfied with his appearance and puts in a lot of effort to get the perfect photo, in other words, to see the ideal himself in the photo. At the same time, the girl and the boy are dissatisfied with their figure, face, and hair.

Bodysmorphophobia is characterized by a person's excessive preoccupation with the shortcomings of his appearance. These can be either individual flaws: a long nose, small eyes, large ears, etc., or a whole range of features. At the same time, a person is looking for that angle or pose in which flaws are not visible or obvious. In other words, a person thinks about his shortcomings for several hours a day. Such preoccupation is a sign of a serious mental disorder.

Signs of dysmorphophobia:

• Constantly studying one's appearance by analyzing the reflection in the mirror or, conversely, the desire to avoid mirrors.
• Preoccupation with one's appearance.
• The belief that a person has special features of appearance that spoil or even disfigure him.
• The belief that people around you have a negative attitude towards a person because of his appearance.
• Desire for frequent use of cosmetic procedures.
• Avoidance of “live” communication.
• Constantly comparing one's own appearance with others.
• Disguising your appearance under a layer of cosmetics or using clothing.
• An obsessive desire to “improve” one’s appearance without visible results.

If you combine these signs with constant self-photographs, then there is a clinical picture of a mental disorder.

The desire to take a spectacular selfie has caused many accidents. Modern statistics show us cases of deaths of spectacular self-portraits. Are there any excuses for taking selfies at the cost of your life? And why don’t young people feel the danger when taking selfies?

The reason is the deep mental disorder that characterizes the hobby of selfies. The desire for the perfect photo drowns out the instinct of self-preservation and leads to real disaster.

Self-addiction

Currently, psychiatrists take self-addiction as seriously as alcoholism. Of course, a selfie does not destroy the human body, but it has an impact on the psyche, causing a number of concomitant mental and somatic disorders.

Self-addiction is a disorder that has no drug treatment. Psychiatrists offer behavioral therapy, which is simply impossible to complete alone, especially for a young person at puberty.

If you notice self-addiction in your loved ones, then you should not try “old-fashioned” methods of treatment by prohibiting photo sessions. You need to get out of addiction gradually, not creating a void, but saturating the vacuum with other activities. This requires special cognitive therapy.

It is best to entrust treatment to a specialist: psychiatrist or psychotherapist. At the same time, deep support and understanding is required about loved ones.