They witness
- Salomé Benhaïm-Cohen, clinical psychologist at Stimulus
- Philippe de Azevedo, addictologist at La Clinique des Platanes (Ramsay Santé)
What is nomophobia?
The term nomophobia comes from the contraction of English ” no mobile phobia “. In other words, the fear of not having your smartphone at hand and of being cut off from its functions. The fear of losing it, of breaking it, of having it stolen, of not having a battery, that the network is insufficient to use it…
It mainly concerns adolescents and those under 25, but not only. It also affects employees anxious about their professional performance who feel obliged to be constantly reachable in the context of their work. And this, despite an official right to disconnect. But they can’t. It’s stronger than them.
Do you have nomophobia?
To find out, answer this questionnaire developed by researchers at the University of Iowa.
Results and instructions here
Is nomophobia a mental disorder?
Salome Benhaim-Cohen
“This disorder is still not listed by the DSM-V (the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders). Nor is nomophobia yet included in ICD-10, the international classification of diseases. », notes Salomé Benhaïm-Cohen, clinical psychologist at Stimulus. It is in fact a “disease” of the modern world intimately linked to the development of social networks and virtual communication in personal and professional life. It can also be linked to certain personality traits that are more receptive to the reward mechanism.
Will nomophobia one day be recognized as an occupational disease?
“For nomophobia to be recognized as an occupational disease one day, a causal link between intensive smartphone use at work and nomophobia would have to be proven. There are studies proving that the development of telework has an impact on smartphone use, but to date, more data is still needed for this to become an occupational disease,” analyzes Salomé Benhaïm-Cohen, expert in well-being and health at work.
Dr Philippe de Azevedo
For Philippe de Azevedo, addictologist doctor at La Clinique des Platanes (Ramsay Santé), “It is almost impossible to prove that smartphone addiction is work-related because we end up using it more in the private sphere than at work. It would also have to be demonstrated that the employer imposes the use of this smartphone”.
In short, nomophobia is not ready to enter the table of occupational diseases. “It is not even one of the addictions listed by the World Health Organization yet. But we’ll definitely get there.”he concludes.