Picture this: You just sent your best buddy a text message about tonight’s plan, you know he’s at the gym working out and it will take some time to get a reply and yet you check your phone every 30 seconds to see if there’s an SMS alert. If this sounds even remotely familiar, you might just be one of the many victims of what is now being called a lifestyle disease that has its origin in cellphones. According to medical experts, textaphrenia – thinking that a message has arrived when it hasn’t or texiety which is being anxious while sending or receiving messages and even binge texting which is sending multiple texts to attract responses are affecting several text addicts.
“I’m never without my cellphone, except maybe when I’m recording, I have a lot of friends across the country and keeping in touch with them through SMS is the easiest way to be updated,” says singer Naresh Iyer.
Many text addicts confess that even though they show signs of these symptoms they don’t really want to seek help. “Whenever I get an SMS I need to reply to it immediately, otherwise I feel like I’ve forgotten to do something. I know I sound crazy but that’s the truth. And I don’t think I need medical help or assistance of any sort because this habit hasn’t got me into trouble,” says Vidya Krishnan, a fashion design student.