Is WhatsApp Addiction a Disease?

Does WhatsApp Use Cause Addiction?

 The increased use of android phones and internet-based applications continues to adversely impact the health and wellness of human populations. The WhatsApp use due to professional and personal requirements potentially increases the risk of borderline personality disorder and its troublesome complications. People attempt to overcome their social isolation while increasing their WhatsApp contacts and rarely engage themselves in personal face-to-face interactions with their peers, friends, and relatives. The urge to use WhatsApp increases day by day among people as they attempt to overcome their unstable self-image. Some of the symptoms related to the extended use of WhatsApp include depression, a sense of emptiness, anxiety, panic, and emotional instability. These symptoms in many scenarios resemble borderline personality disorder. Evidence-based clinical literature reveals the occurrence of impulsive behavior, self-esteem reduction, affective disorders, loneliness, and high dependence (on family members) among the WhatsApp users (Faye, Gawande, Tadke, Kirpekar, & Bhave, 2016). A research study by Alkhalaf, Tekian, and Park, (2018) reveals the deleterious impact of social media/WhatsApp addiction on the academic performance of medical students. Another study by Sha, Sariyska, Riedl, Lachmann, and Montag (2019) reveals the adverse effect of excessive social networking and WhatsApp utilization on the satisfaction level of addicted users. WhatsApp use disorder also disrupts the interpersonal relationship among individuals. People addicted to the overutilization of WhatsApp in many scenarios engage themselves in familial conflicts and remain hyperactive. Some of them also develop suicidal or homicidal tendencies due to self-neglect and isolation. The virtual social network to some extent gives them a feeling of support; however, the absence of real-world interactions increases their psychosocial complications to many folds.     

What Could be the Adverse Health Effects of WhatsApp Use?

 WhatsApp addiction could potentially deteriorate the health and social wellness of individuals. It could also lead to the development of aggressive behaviors, attention deficits, somatic complications, and problematic behaviors. WhatsApp addiction interferences in the daily schedule of people while reducing their self-control and self-care abilities. WhatsApp addition also deteriorates the work productivity of people while decreasing their cognitive ability and executive functions (Montag, Lachmann, Herrlich, & Zweig, 2019). The problematic use of smartphones and WhatsApp indeed disrupts the mental health of people while increasing their risk of various psychological problems. Social media and WhatsApp addiction also increase the risk of chronic/acute/borderline selfitis (Masthi, Pruthvi, & Phaneendra, 2018). WhatsApp use for an extended duration deteriorates the innovative skills and creative aptitude of individuals. It also impacts several behavioral characteristics including extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness (Montag et al., 2015). The meaningless use of WhatsApp also impacts the overall confidence and positive thinking pattern. 

How Could You Recognize Your WhatsApp Addiction?

 You might be suffering from WhatsApp addiction if you experience one or more of the following scenarios. 

  1. You irresistibly check your WhatsApp notifications several times a day despite the absence of meaningful messages. 
  2. You tend to check your WhatsApp messages in the absence of notifications.  
  3. You feel stressed and anxious in case you do not receive any reply to your WhatsApp messages from the receiver. 
  4. WhatsApp checking is your priority in the morning and last job before going to bed. 
  5. You read your WhatsApp conversations many times in a day.  
  6. You relentlessly change your WhatsApp status now and then. 
  7. You evaluate people’s conduct, character, and behavior of people through their WhatsApp statuses and display pictures.  
  8. The typing status of the recipients increases your anxiety and panic. 
  9. You forget about your sleep schedule and frequently check your WhatsApp messages overnight. 
  10. WhatsApp notifications prove to be a source of major distractions and do not let you focus on your job. 
  11. You experience aggression, agitation, and panic while participating in WhatsApp group conversations. 
  12. You frequently share your daily routines and pictures of activities per day over WhatsApp. 
  13. You feel stressed while conversing with people who have not displayed their profile pictures over WhatsApp. 
  14. You walk on the road while checking your WhatsApp status or continuing group conversations without realizing your risk of trauma. 
  15. You frequently check your WhatsApp messages while driving. 
  16. You fail to realize the impact of your aggressive responses on the wellness and mental well-being of your WhatsApp message recipients. 
  17. You experience palpitations while reading a WhatsApp post to which you do not agree. 
  18. You experience trouble sleeping at night due to repeated checking of WhatsApp messages.  
  19. You frequently back up your WhatsApp messages throughout the day. 
  20. You unavoidably pick your phone while talking, eating, gossiping, and moving inside the home or workplace. 
What Are the Possible Ways to Overcome WhatsApp Addiction?

 The following strategies will undoubtedly help you to overcome your WhatsApp addiction.


  1. You must deactivate your unnecessary social media accounts to reduce your smartphone use frequency. 
  2. You should remove your WhatsApp status and exit from unnecessary groups to challenge your additional engagement with WhatsApp. 
  3. You must make yourself understand the usefulness of WhatsApp for professional purposes only. Accordingly, you should switch off your notifications and make a rule to check your WhatsApp messages not more than 2-3 times a day. 
  4. You must tell your contacts to call you for important updates and avoid sharing unnecessary posts through WhatsApp. 
  5. You must minimize your YouTube use and avoid viewing unnecessary videos received over WhatsApp. 
  6. Regular engagement in exercise and sports is the best way to minimize your WhatsApp addiction. 
  7. You should stay on a healthy diet and increase your face-to-face interactions with your family members. 
  8. Extended engagement in your hobbies is also the best way to minimize your WhatsApp use frequency. 
  9. You should update your skills while learning new things and read books to enhance your positive thinking pattern. 
  10. You should prefer calling people rather than contacting them through WhatsApp messages. 
  11. Professional use of WhatsApp for official requirements will rarely cause any addition and rather increase your sense of responsibility towards your job. 
  12. You should counsel other WhatsApp addicted people and share your experiences with them while meaningfully creating a positive environment for de-addiction.  
References
    Alkhalaf, A. M., Tekian, A., & Park, Y. S. (2018). The impact of WhatsApp use on academic achievement among Saudi medical students. Medical Teacher, 40(1), S10-S14. doi:10.1080/0142159X.2018.1464652
    Faye, A. D., Gawande, S., Tadke, R., Kirpekar, V. C., & Bhave , S. H. (2016). WhatsApp addiction and borderline personality disorder: A new therapeutic challenge. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 58(2), 235-237. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.183790

    Masthi, N. R., Pruthvi, S., & Phaneendra, M. S. (2018). A Comparative Study on Social Media Usage and Health Status among Students Studying in Pre-University Colleges of Urban Bengaluru. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 43(3), 180-184. doi:10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_285_17

    Montag, C., Błaszkiewicz, K., Sariyska, R., Lachmann, B., Andone , I., Trendafilov, B., . . . Markowetz, A. (2015). Smartphone usage in the 21st century: who is active on WhatsApp? BMC Research Notes, 8(331). doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1280-z

    Montag, C., Lachmann, B., Herrlich, M., & Zweig, K. (2019). Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(14). doi:10.3390/ijerph16142612

    Sha, P., Sariyska, R., Riedl, R., Lachmann, B., & Montag, C. (2019). Linking Internet Communication and Smartphone Use Disorder by taking a closer look at the Facebook and WhatsApp applications. Addictive Behaviors Reports. doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2018.100148


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