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March 18, 2014
1 minute, 4 seconds
A 19-year-old boy has been named Britain's first 'selfie' addict, after becoming obsessed with taking the perfect picture of himself.
According to mirror.co.uk, the teen had to undergo intensive hospital therapy to treat his addiction to technology. He has also been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
During the height of his addiction, Danny Bowman spent ten hours a day taking pictures of himself on his iPhone. He would take up to 200 photos, but was rarely happy with the results. His addiction got so bad, Mr Bowman stopped going to school and refused to leave the house for six months. Whenever his parents tried to stop him from taking pictures, he would become aggressive towards them.
Psychiatrist Dr David Veal, who works at the clinic Mr Bowman was treated at, says although this particular case is an extreme example, this type of addiction is still a serious issue.
"Two out of three of all of the patients who come to see me with BDD since the rise of camera phones have a compulsion to repeatedly take selfies," he explains, reports ibtimes.co.uk. "Cognitive behavioural therapy is used to help a patient recognise the reasons for his or her compulsive behaviour and then to learn how to moderate it."