Oxford’s dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2013 has now become a syndrome as more experts link taking selfies to narcissism. South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and The Priory Hospital leading psychiatrist Dr. David Veal says that the majority of patients who suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) are obsessed with taking selfies, always searching for the perfect angle from which to portray themselves.  “Taking selfies is not an addiction,” he says. “It’s a symptom of BDD that involves checking ones appearance.”

The link between Selfies and BDD was brought to prominence in April 2014 when British teenager Danny Bowman, diagnosed with BDD, said he spent ten hours a day attempting to take the “right” selfie and attempted to commit suicide after failing to produce what he perceived to be the perfect selfie. His habit began at the age of 15, and he estimates that he took 200 selfies a day. “I was constantly in search of taking the perfect selfie and when I realized I couldn’t, I wanted to die,” he told the Sunday Mirror. “I lost my friends, my education, my health and almost my life. The only thing I cared about was having my phone with me so I could satisfy the urge to capture a picture of myself at any time of the day.”

The teenager’s parents, both mental health professionals, say that society lacks the understanding to deal with the danger posed by electronic gadgets and social media.

A study of Facebook users found that the more Selfies posted, the greater the risk of damaging real-life relationships. It was also found that posting photos of oneself correlated with lower evels of social support from and intimacy with Facebook friends.

Doctor Pamela Rutledge told Psychology Tody that taking selfies are indicative of narcissism and low self esteem and also show attention seeking behavior. She says that selfies raise the risk of narcissism.

The rise of the word itself – From the early experimental selfie to the rise of the narcissistic selfie…