A latest survey by Delhi’s top government hospitals has found that the Capital’s youth are unknowingly getting trapped in behavioural addiction via internet on smart phones.
The survey, conducted by All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) on 817 people (college and school students and young professionals), has found that about 56 per cent of the participants had at least one mobile phone behavioural addiction such as gaming, internet use, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.).
Most importantly, the findings pointed that 41 per cent of the respondents have agreed to professional help in case they are having behavioural addiction related to the use of mobile phone technology, while 15 per cent agreed to have sought some help in the past.
The survey was conducted in November 2017 at a health camp in Pragati Maidan.
Author Dr Suneela Garg, director professor of community medicine at MAMC told MAIL TODAY, “Behavioural addiction due to use of mobile technology and internet is a major concern. Respondents have revealed they engage in gaming and downloading videos through smart phones. Nearly 25 per cent of the people have experienced withdrawal symptoms when not using mobile phones.”
People are developing behavioural problems such as not getting proper sleep. Many a time they develop troublesome symptoms such as stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, delinquency, aggressiveness, loss of concentration and memory, fatigue and headache
“With increasing penetration of internet and availability of affordable mobile devices, a large proportion of the Indian population is getting exposed to internet and mobiles. There is an urgentneed to focus on health hazards due to these,” Garg said.
Dr Nand Kumar, professor in the department of psychiatry at AIIMS, said: “There was a time when cases of behavioural changes were found in technologically advanced countries such as South Korea, but today, it has become a concern for Indians. I have come across several patients who fear losing their phones and they cannot imagine their lives without them.”
“People are developing behavioural problems such as not getting proper sleep. Many a time they develop troublesome symptoms such as stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, delinquency, aggressiveness, loss of concentration and memory, fatigue and headache,” Kumar added.
According to the survey, approximately 56 per cent of the respondents rated themselves to be having at least one of the nine features of behavioural symptoms.
Of these, 35.41 per cent endorsed that they have preoccupation or obsession with it and experienced withdrawal symptoms when not doing it. The findings of the study was published in the latest issue of Journal of The Association of Physicians of India.
source:-indiatoday
