Celebrity worship syndrome

When news of Zayn Malik quitting the band One Direction broke, it went viral across social media and an army of devoted fans went into meltdown. Jealous schoolgirls trolled Zayn’s girlfriend Perrie Edwards, a member of girl band Little Mix, while groups of devoted 1D followers wept while listening to their albums back to back.

Pop history has given fans plenty of heartbreak over the years when bands have decided to split, or when members have left, from The Beatles to Take That. But when Zayn, 22, announced his departure in March, there was a very disturbing reaction from a pocket of fans. Within hours #cut4zayn was trending, with distraught fans self-harming then posting the pictures of their bleeding wounds under the hashtag on Twitter. For many youngsters, being a fan is now an extreme commitment.

When Beth’s* 13-year-old daughter Ava* discovered that Zayn was leaving the band, she didn’t harm herself but her behaviour was so worrying that Beth turned to a professional for help. ‘Ava locked herself away in her room for hours, crying as though her world had come to an end,’ she recalls. ‘She didn’t even cry that much when her granny died.

‘Zayn had always been Ava’s favourite from the very start and I’d gone with her twice to watch them perform live. I thought it was an innocent crush that most teenagers have on celebrities, but the thought of him not being part of the group broke Ava.’

The teenager refused to go to school, leave her room, or eat. Beth is now following the doctor’s plan to get Ava’s focus off the celebrity world and back on her peers. ‘Joining a weekly after-school sports club is the first step,’ Beth, from London, says.

Sadly, Ava isn’t alone. Experts are using the term Celebrity Worship Syndrome (CWS) to describe the growing obsession young people have with their idols. According to the British Journal of Psychology, out of 600 people studied, about a third qualified for the diagnosis of CWS – that’s a staggering one in three. With a band like One Direction having almost 40 million Facebook likes and more than 20 million followers on Twitter, the impact is huge.

Celebrity life coach Sloan Sheridan-Williams, who has clients from the UAE travel to see her in London, or get help through online consultations, is familiar with the growing problem. ‘CWS is a form of obsessive disorder that in its non-pathological form is based around an intense preoccupation with fame or what celebrities are doing,’ she says.

This can include something as simple as a fascination about the latest weight-loss fad A-listers are trying, but it could also include strong opinions about decisions made by boy band members such as Zayn.

Having an idol can be a positive part of growing up for many young fans. Ask any family member and they could probably tell you a favourite film star from childhood, or the first album they saved up to buy – it isn’t a new phenomenon. But why are today’s teens taking it to extremes?

With the rise of social media such as Twitter and Instagram, our children can see what celebs are up to every second of the day. They can see pictures of what they’re eating, wearing – even where they’re staying, which enables some die-hard fans to turn up to their homes or hotels and wait to catch a glimpse of them. This is giving them a false sense of ownership over the stars.

‘Social media and the ability to have your voice heard about your favourite celebrities in turn encourages a culture of dependency among fans and it’s a big concern in today’s heavily media-driven world,’ Sloan says. ‘Fans have an over-identification with celebrities and also their importance in celebrities’ lives.’ But Sloan also believes that social media can be a positive influence as often fans gain self-esteem, validation or an elevated mood when they read about their favourite celebrity. They can feel part of a greater community and relate when their idol goes through something similar, such as a bad outfit choice or a break-up.

‘Anything taken to the extreme can be unhealthy, but is it the fault of social media or that of the users?’ Sloan asks.

‘Moderation is the key to healthy use of social media. Putting a celebrity up on a pedestal is always a recipe for disaster, but picking out a few character traits that are successful, or admiring their accomplishments and emulating them is a very positive way of utilising any fascination with someone in the spotlight.

‘I often teach my clients how to successfully model behaviours that have got their heroes to where they are today. The key is not to admire someone because they are famous but to admire a quality within that person that makes them special. Idolising personality traits is far more productive than idolising a person.’

But social media can bring out far more destructive behaviour, such as when fans of One Direction sent a torrent of abuse to Zayn’s fiancée. ‘Basically Perrie Edwards is the most hated girl in the universe today,’ one wrote.

Psychotherapist and psychologist Francesca Moresi, who has a practice in London, says it’s easy for people to hide behind social media – which is equally good, and bad. ‘It is an easy way for people to express feelings they wouldn’t dare express in the real world,’ she says. Our teenage years are complicated, she points out, as we go through physical and psychological transformations and a celebrity attachment can be constructive. ‘Teenagers want to grow and feel the need to create a distance from their parents, be different from them and experience something new,’ she says. ‘They can fill the empty space with a celebrity attachment. It’s the first time they start thinking about relationships – but a real relationship is scary because there is a chance of betrayal or rejection.’ Celebritries fill that spot for adolescents. Francesca warns that when it comes to teenagers and kids approaching puberty, CWS matched with hormones and growing problems such as insecurities or self-esteem issues can have extreme results.

‘When they seek refuge in their own fantasies, they can drift apart from parents and friends and it can become an obsession,’ she says. ‘Studies have shown that these kids tend to be lonely, with few friends, and less attached to their parents.’

Dr Thoraiya Kanafani, a psychologist and director of clinical services at Human Relations Institute and Clinics in Dubai, says an obsession with celebrities becomes dangerous when it starts to affect children’s social lives as well as their mental health; especially when their obsession becomes more important than their health, studies and safety.

‘Researchers have linked intense levels of adoration for a celebrity to depression and anxiety,’ she says. ‘Problems can arise if the line between reality and fantasy starts to blur.’

Dr Kanafani says that if parents feel that an obsession with a celebrity is going beyond simple entertainment and is affecting their children’s behaviour, then it’s time to step in. ‘Parents need to encourage children to become involved in activities and social situations,’ she says. ‘They should give lots of positive feedback about their children’s unique strengths and qualities and allow them to assume responsibilities at home, or consider taking up sports or joining after-school clubs.’

When it comes to the self-harming triggered by Zayn’s departure, Francesca suspects that the few fans who did this may have already had issues. Self-harm is related to high levels of psychological pain and may have been triggered by a number of events in their lives.

‘Self-harm is usually the manifestation of a strong suffering that adolescents are unable to express in a more constructive way,’ she says.

‘These kids go through a great deal of psychological pain; they usually feel sadness, anger, and loneliness, have low self-esteem and are unable to express these feelings with words or elaborate on their pain. When the pain gets too intense, they express it through their body since this is the only way for them not to be overwhelmed and to find temporary relief.’ For concerned parents, it’s important to start a dialogue. Investigate why your children have chosen a particular celebrity to follow – what qualities do they admire?

‘Parents can then remind their children that celebrities are real and normal people as well,’ Francesca says. ‘In extreme cases, they should contact a psychologist or a psychotherapist for professional help to deal with the situation before it escalates.

Sloan says children can often be looking to the outside world to provide an answer for negative emotions they’re feeling in their lives. By focusing their energy on someone else, they don’t have to deal with the feelings within.

Mum Beth has since discovered that her daughter’s obsession with Zayn arose as she was a victim of bullying at school.

‘Ava’s breakdown over Zayn was actually the result of everything she was dealing with,’ she explains. ‘I trivialised it as an immature reaction to a boy leaving a band, but in fact, her reaction was really about being picked on. She’d followed One Direction to escape her troubles and when Zayn left it rocked the one thing she was clinging on to.

‘We’re now bringing her back to reality and helping her face her problems.’

Young people will go to great lengths to cover self-harm scars and injuries. If you do spot them they might be explained away as accidents. Look out for the following in particular:

Physical signs The self-inflicted wounds are commonly on the head, wrists, arms, thighs and chest and include cuts, bruises, burns and bald patches from pulling out hair. Young people who self-harm are also very likely to keep themselves covered up in long-sleeved clothes, even when it’s really hot.

Emotional signs The emotional signs are harder to spot and their presence doesn’t necessarily mean that a young person is self-harming. But if you see any of these as well as any of the physical signs then there may be cause for concern: depression, tearfulness and low motivation, unusual eating habits; sudden weight loss or gain, low self-esteem and self-blame.

Courtesy of www.nspcc.org.uk

*Names changed on request