March 27, 2006
Nokiaphobia: the fear of Greeks bearing phones
A new phobia has exploded among mobile phone users in Greece, reports The Observer. "The 'fear of fear' has been brought on by revelations of eavesdropping at Vodafone, the country's biggest mobile operator, say psychoanalysts reporting a boom in patients.
"Greeks, anxious their phones may have been tapped by bosses or spouses, have sought medical help. 'The afflicted show all the signs of a classic phobia,' said Dr Dimitris Souras, an Athenian psychotherapist. 'I have had at least 25 people, of all ages, displaying what I can only call a "fear of fear", that is fear of their own fear that their private conversations may have been monitored.
All had complained of anxiety, sleep disorders, irritability and an inability to function properly. 'There is no doubt in my mind that this is connected to what we now know: that in Greece mobile phones are not safe,' said Dr Souras who includes the phobia in his latest book."
Related articles:
-- Greek boss at phone-tapping probe
-- Mobile phone-tapping plot uncovered in Greece
-- Furor continues over unprecedented mobile phone-tapping case
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