If their mobile phone keeps silent for some time, they would get worried and check to make sure they haven't set it wrong.

They often mistake the ringing of other people's phones as that of their own and tend to be bad-tempered.

These symptoms, according to noted psychologist Yang Ling, are all typical of a kind of newly-emerged mental disease called "mobile phone dependence" plaguing a growing number of Chinese mobile phone users, especially the youth.

Statistics show that nearly 160 million Chinese people among the total 1.3 billion population own mobile phones, the highest proportion in the world.

As a salesperson for a Beijing commercial housing company, 25-year-old Tang Hui has become accustomed to his professional image of being busy on his mobile phone all day.

"I have to change my battery once a day in order to keep my phone working, and the frequent ringing makes me feel that life is full," said Tang.

However, owing to his company's recent decline in business, Tang's phone calls also dropped considerably. When no longer able to keep up his business image created by the constant use of his mobile phone, Tang will find himself restless, easily get excited and somewhat unable to concentrate on his work.

Yang, also vice-president of the Education Science College in the Northwest Teachers University, explained that frequent mobile phone users, like Tang, gradually make their phone a part of their life without noticing it. Once the number of phone calls drops or phones get lost, these symptoms of addiction appear.

According to Yang, "mobile phone dependence" symptoms are often found in the unsociable, eccentric and non-confident group, and most outstandingly, the young people among the group.

While some of them seek contact with the outside world through phone calls in order to make sure that they are not forgotten and abandoned by society, others want to create a professional image of high efficiency with the help of their hard-working mobile phone.

Yang suggested that people, especially the youth, should avoid putting too much emphasis on the use of mobile phones, but try to entertain themselves in other ways, like reading, hiking and doing sports.

If still unable to get rid of such mental anxiety, Yang urged, they should go to see a psychologist for medical treatment as early as possible.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2003)