Sunny Health

Indulging in dreamy fantasies about your favourite celebrity, spending your limited pocket money on CDs and fan merchandise, having an unquenchable thirst for every single titbit of knowledge about your idol, buying presents for your idol, secretly following him/her on the streets or on Twitter… these probably sound familiar as most of us have gone through, or are currently going through such a phase in our lives.

Admiring and idolising people with talent and/or looks are part and parcel of human nature, and most of the regular things that fans do are good, clean fun. But as celebrities get more up-close and personal with their fans through social media, fan meets and more live performances, the divide between idols and their fans has narrowed, prompting some to put a toe out of line, or, make that an entire leg.

Installing CCTVs in the vicinity of their idols’ residence, hiring drivers to tailgate their idols’ cars to the extent of causing severe road accidents, selling their bodies to hire said drivers when it gets too expensive, sending menstruation blood to their idols (yuck!)… these are just some of the crazy antics a new breed of fans in Korea called Sasaeng do to get closer to their idols. Unfortunately, the fad has reached the shores of Singapore, where the K-wave is virtually irresistable. While not as extreme yet, a local accident involving a seven-car pile up near Changi Airport had been the result of ardent Singaporean fans stalking a Korean celebrity.

Before you laugh these off as cases of the cray cray, think again. These are real problems stemming from intense obsession, and could happen to the average person. Consider the stalking of an ex on social media platforms or following them around (which sometimes ends in a brutal murder), non-stop gaming, intensive clubbing and binge drinking all night long, catching every football match on TV at unearthly hours, compulsively collecting items…

Such acts of obsession towards something you enjoy, also known as Obsessive Hobby Disorder, are unhealthy in the following ways:

- Physically toiling, especially when you are missing proper meals and rest
-  Time consuming, disrupting normal life by preventing you from performing well at work and school or even missing them entirely
- Ruins your social life and relationships
- Frequent lack of money, which may prompt one to resort to crimes
- Long term negative impacts on your mental wellbeing – in event that you are forced to give up the hobby i.e. idol leaves the entertainment industry for good or gets married, a void will develop and if it is unable to be filled up, one may succumb to it through drastic acts, such as suicides. 

In serious cases, especially when one is in denial of their obsession, he/she will have to undergo treatment with a psychiatrist. But, in less severe cases when you are aware that you're perhaps investing too much time, effort and money on your interest, or someone tells you your obsession is scary for the umpteenth time, you can keep your interest in check before it gets overboard.

Ways to Overcome Obsession

1.  If you find yourself stalking someone on various social media platforms, remove those accounts to eliminate those constant updates and reminders of that person. Do something more productive like reading or learning a new skill. Being addicted to social media was never healthy to begin with.

2. Join a new community group and get to know new people and talk about new things. By trying out something new, you obtain a new focus, and your mind will be preoccupied with trying to retain those new skills.

3. Distract yourself with more interests. Love one K-pop band? Why not spread the love and check out a few others? As your interest is spread out across a few areas, your obsession in one particular area of interest will thin.

4. Hide pictures or anything you have that reminds you of the person. Without the physical object in front of you, you will be less inclined to keep your mind on said person.

5. List down the good points and bad points of the person. Don’t focus solely on the good points. Nobody is perfect. If you realize that person is not as godly as he or she seems, you will feel less inclined to worship him/her.

6. If the person you are obsessed about is a celebrity, forget about a happily-ever-after. Unless you’re like Katie Holmes who’s able to make a name for yourself in the entertainment industry (and by the way, that didn’t end well in marriage), it’s time to face up to reality before you get hurt.

These days, with more people succumbing to a lifestyle that results in loneliness and emptiness, such problems can become more common.  If you notice your friend, or yourself displaying signs of Obsessive Hobby Disorder, don’t hesitate to consult a psychiatrist.

Sources: 
http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/sasaeng-groupies-gone-wild-part-1-k-fans-141105992.html 
http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/sasaeng-stalkers-part-1-sasaeng-singapore-084138184.html http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/sasaeng-stalkers-part-3-one-fan-korean-sasaeng-092622496.html