Survey: One in 4 young people is addicted to their mobile phone, with serious mental health problems

British psychiatrists concluded that almost the one in four young people (23%) is so addicted to mobile phone of, which could be considered that is addicted.

ΣThe biggest research of this kind showed that addiction becomes more noticeable when for some reason the young person loses his cell phone or can not use it, so he can show anxiety, even panic symptoms.

Researchers at King's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, led by Dr Samantha Sean, published in the British journal BMC Psychiatry that analyzed data from a total of 41 years. The nine surveys were conducted in Europe, two in the US and the rest in Asia.

The study (meta-analysis) confirms that a significant percentage of young people (from 10% to 30% depending on each study, with an average of 23%) makes "problematic" use of his mobile phone. Among other things, he is unable to control the time he spends with his phone, using it so much that it is done at the expense of other activities.

This addictive behavior is often linked to other problems, such as anxiety, depressed mood, lack of sleep and reduced academic performance, according to the BBC and the Telegraph.

"We are not sure if it is the fault of the mobile phone itself that becomes addictive or the applications that people use. "In each case, they have seized it, despite obstacles we can scarcely imagine."

"Addictions can have serious consequences for mental health and daily functioning, so there is a need to further study the problematic use of smartphones," Sean said.

Although in the last decade both the use of mobile phones by children and young people, as well as mental disordersHowever, not all scientists are convinced that there is indeed a cause-and-effect relationship between frequent cell phone use and mental disorders such as depression.

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