Taking Too Many Selfies Could Be A Sign Of 'Selfitis'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Selfies have become a ubiquitous part of daily life for Americans, but psychologists say if you're taking too many you might have "Selfitis."

Sisters Taelor and Tia Smith and their friend, Tikia Travis, say they snap hundreds of selfies a day.

"I would have to say 700," Tia said. "Look, I have to make sure I get the right angle."

"It gives me confidence because sometimes I feel, you know, everything doesn't translate on camera but then to turn and see my teeth look great, my eyebrows match, this is great," selfieTaelor said.

A recent study in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction suggests compulsive selfie taking can lead to a condition known as Selfitis.

"A selfie addiction is when a person is almost obsessively taking selfies, multiple times a day, and posting that to whatever it might be. Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram," Dr. Ramani Durvasula, Psychology Professor at Cal State said.

Durvasula says if more than 50 percent of your photos are selfies and you're using filters frequently, those are red flags.

"More studies are showing this," Durvasula said. "More time spent on social media sites negatively affects people's' self esteem, can make a person less able to cope, more likely to have anxiety, depression, that sort of thing."

She says to help avoid Selfitis, put your phone down and create selfie free zones.

"Sometimes I just want to get that perfect picture and sometimes it takes 200 times to get it right," Taelor said. She adds she's not obsessed, she's just a "selfie connoisseur."

Durvasula says if you're a parent or friend of someone who might be addicted to selfies, you can help them by not liking or validating their photos.