^^^^^^^Celebrity worship syndrome (
CWS) or
celebrity obsession disorder (
COD) is an
obsessive addictive disorder in which a person becomes overly involved with the details of a
celebrity's personal and professional life.
[1] Psychologists have indicated that though many people obsess over
film,
television,
sport and
pop stars, the only common factor between them is that they are all
figures in the public eye. Written observations of celebrity worship date back to the 19th century.
Evidence indicates that poor
mental health is correlated with celebrity worship.
[14] Researchers have examined the relationship between celebrity worship and mental health in United Kingdom adult samples. One study found evidence to suggest that the intense-personal celebrity worship dimension was related to higher levels of depression and anxiety. Similarly, another study in 2004, found that the intense-personal celebrity worship dimension was not only related to higher levels of
depression and
anxiety, but also higher levels of
stress,
negative affect, and reports of illness. Both these studies showed no evidence for a significant relationship between either the entertainment-social or the borderline-pathological dimensions of celebrity worship and mental health