Having an addiction to taking selfies, may cause mental illness, according to an expert.
Danny Bowman, a man diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, explained that he grew suicidal due to his addiction taking selfies, Guardian Liberty Voice reported. Bowman shared that he would shoot about 200 pictures a day in an attempt to take the “right” selfie of himself. He also said that he would spend up to 10 hours a day taking selfies.
Bowman attempted suicide by taking an overdose of drugs when he couldn’t take what he felt to be the perfect selfie.
In trying to care for Bowman, Dr. David Veal expressed to Guardian Liberty Voice that taking too many selfies may cause mental illness, including body dysmorphic disorder, which has an “extremely high suicide rate.”
Bowman’s parents, who are both mental health professionals, explained that they believe there is a “huge lack of understanding” about how risky electronic gadgets and social media can be for users. His parents shared that his addiction to taking selfies caused him to dramatically lose weight, in addition to him trying to commit suicide.