KENDALL JENNER

Kim Kardashian’s sister has carved out a career as one of the world’s top models, working for Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Givenchy.

The livelihoods of the KardashianJenner family are based on being in the public eye, so it’s no surprise Kendall has been taking selfies at a prolific rate.

Experts have now confirmed it exists – and have even developed a selfitis behaviour scale which can be used to assess its severity.

They examined 400 people from India – the country with the most Facebook users – and produced the scale listing factors that provoke the condition. This included attention seeking, self-confidence issues and social competition.

Dr Mark Griffiths, Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University’s psychology department, said: “A few years ago, stories appeared in the media claiming that the condition of selfitis was to be classed as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.

“While the story was revealed to be a hoax, it didn’t mean that the condition of selfitis didn’t exist.

“We have now appeared to confirm its existence and developed the world’s first selfitis behaviour scale to assess the condition.

“Using a scale of one for strongly disagree to five for strongly agree, people can determine how acute their selfitis is by responding to statements such as, ‘Sharing my selfies creates healthy competition with my friends and colleagues,’ and, ‘I feel more popular when I post my selfies on social media.’”

Researcher Dr Janarthanan Balakrishnan said: “Typically, those with the condition suffer from a lack of self-confidence and are seeking to fit in with those around them, and may display symptoms similar to other potentially addictive behaviours.

“It is hoped further research will be carried out to understand how and why people develop this behaviour, and what can be done to help the most affected.”