Scientific research has confirmed obsessive selfie-taking is linked to narcissism and mental health issues... And we can't say we didn't see this one coming.
Public health officials in the UK announced that addiction to social media such as Facebook and Twitter is an illness. More than 100 patients seek treatment every year.
"Two out of three of all the patients who come to see me with Body Dysmorphic Disorder since the rise of camera phones have a compulsion to repeatedly take selfies," Dr David Veal, a psychiatrist at The Priory, told The Sunday Mirror.
"Cognitive behavioural therapy is used to help a patient to recognise the reasons for his or her compulsive behaviour and then to learn how to moderate it."
However, this isn't just a UK-specific problem. The Mental Health Department (MHD) in Thailand agrees that the selfie trend could be messing with our young minds, and contributing to a paralysing lack of confidence.
"To pay close attention to published photos, controlling who sees or who likes or comments them, hoping to reach the greatest number of likes is a symptom that 'selfies' are causing problems," said Panpimol Wipulakorn, of the Thai MHD.
Source: Elite Daily
MORE! Danny Bowman, who suffers from OCD and Body Dismorphia would take as many as 200 selfies a day...