Classification of Social Media Psychopathology

Dr Stewart Hase Social Media Anxiety Disorder (SMAD) Characterised by an urge to constantly check social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, personal blog,, etc) to see what is happening. If the person is unable to check their favourite sites they become increasingly anxious and agitated. However, they are able to delay gratification for an hour or so when eventually they need to leave social situations to check their home page. Social Media Dependency Disorder (SMDD) A more severe form of SMAD in which the person must look constantly at their social media sites even at social events such as having dinner with friends, at parties, when listening to a tearful friend upset at breaking up with their partner during foreplay and toileting. A loss of a device to access or a connection failure can create major panic and loss of control. BorderlineSocial Media Personality Disorder (BSMPD) This is an even more severe than FDD and is characterised by a persistent and pervading need to access social media so that it interferes severely with the activities of daily living. Its major feature is a need to constantly check to see if a friend has posted a comment or, more importantly, liked a recent post. This urge occurs in all social situations and cannot be resisted. If friends do not fairly instantly respond with a comment or a ‘like’ the person becomes very fraught with intense feelings of rejection and will send emails, tweets, text messages and other posts to friends urging them to respond immediately. BSMPD with high levels of Narcissism These people have been known to smash devices, attack people and otherwise exhibit extreme narcissistic rage when they are removed as a friend, don’t receive comments to their posts or are ignored on Twitter by someone or if indeed a friend simply decides to withdraw in any way, for even a few minutes. Shirley Temple Syndrome (STS) Common on Facebook but seen in other social media, his involves the need to constantly post huge volumes of photos of offspring, usually babies, in various poses and undertaking a variety of bodily functions. This disorder is reinforced by people who have the related disorder of Shirley Temple Voyeur Syndrome. In this disorder people feel the need to post endless likes and comments about the beauty and cleverness of the child or marvel at the shape of bowel movements. Irrelevance Disorder (ID)

Here the person with this disorder has an overpowering need to tell all and sundry of miniscule and totally uninteresting behaviours that they might be undertaking at the time. These include, but not limited to, going to the toilet, bursting a pimple, stubbing a toe on the piano, having a cup of tea, eating a Sao, or having a belch. People with ID have a lack of respect for themselves and the human race in general and usually have a dual diagnosis that includes GALS-Get a Life Syndrome. Social Media Exhibition Disorder (SMED) Related to ID is the need to tell people things designed to shock them. This might be that they are not wearing undies, their intention to be naughty, their need to insult someone, their level of drunkenness or otherwise engage in some anti-social behaviour. Mostly this disorder ends up being found by potential employers and being rejected in a job application. Careers have been ended in what has been dubbed the Shane Warne Effect involving sexual innuendo. God Is Great Syndrome (GIGS) The main feature of this syndrome is a need to send out messages about how their favourite god (any god of any religion) is fantastic, does great things and promises a place in social media heaven. Pictures and garish coloured text is included in these messages that demonstrate a complete lack of consciousness. Pithy Message Disorder (PMD) This disorder is similar to GIGS but much broader, hence classified as a disorder. The sufferer is compulsively driven to send out inspirational messages often with pictures espousing some meaningless sentiment that has not relation to reality. These messages are so sickly sweet that they have been known to create nausea and even vomiting among those who receive them. Frequently these people lack any imagination whatsoever (and intelligence) in that they cut and paste these comments and pictures from elsewhere on the internet in an act of blatant plagiarism. This is a related disorder known as Plagiarised Inspiration Disease. Zuckerbergaphobia (ZBP) The sufferer of this anxiety disorder is deeply fearful of social media. Severe panic is the main symptom and is brought on by even a mention of social media sites and the name of Mark Zuckerberg. Experts claim that the disorder began with Facebook but this is in dispute. However, the name persists. Some clinicians have reported attacks of panic in the clients at even the sight of a device capable of downloading any social media sites. In severe cases carrying a mobile device such as a smart phone is impossible. Social Media Paranoia

ZBP should not be confused with Social Media Paranoia in which the user is fearful that organisations such as ASIO and the CIA are spying on the internet. While this may in fact be true, instead of accepting it as a normal risk, sufferers turn off all means of access to posts except by close friends. The most telling symptom is that even thought they are deeply suspicious and take incredible precautions they are unable to prevent themselves from using social media. In this sense the sufferer is delusional, a characteristic of this psychosis. Get a Life Personality Disorders These disorders are severe and demonstrate other significant psychiatric diseases. Trolls - People who operate under a fake name and pictures and post nasty derogatory comments. Fakes - People who are on a site with a pseudo name but tell their friends its them Lurkers - They only read others pages and in fact go to their pages and do detailed searches but never post anything themselves Stalkers - Lurkers but only for a single person