Thanks to Google, we can enter a world of information that allows us to widen our perspective in life.
But this is also the reason why most people check their symptoms online instead of going to a doctor, and before they know it, they have already diagnosed themselves with numerous health conditions.
One doctor warned people not to Google their symptoms when feeling sick as the internet works on algorithms and most of the results have nothing to do with what you may actually be suffering from.
Dr. Daniel Atkinsons said: “Health anxiety, hypochondria, isn’t a new problem. It’s likely been around for as long as we’ve known anything about medicine.
“But the internet and readily available access to medical information has, without question, amplified the issue in recent years.
“Cyberchrondria might spur someone on to see a doctor right away, but not always.
“In some cases it might create a psychological trap where a person is caught between two opposing notions: one, that the symptom is a sign of an illness so serious that the person is too afraid to go to a doctor for help, because they presume the worst; two, that this is an overreaction, and the symptom is nothing and isn’t worth wasting a doctor’s time with.
“The longer this person doesn’t seek help, the more this anxiety can build up. Their rationale might be: ‘if I didn’t do something about it before, it’s probably too late to do something now’ and so on.”
He continued: “It only takes one rogue opinion to plant an idea and induce anxiety. So if you’re prone to health anxiety, open access forums where people discuss general, speculative symptoms are best avoided.
“There are some measures you can take to ensure the website you’re reading is credible. The NHS Information Standards logo is a good one to look for. This means that the site has been verified by them as a reliable source of medical information.”
Dr. Atkinsons added: “GPs would prefer patients to come and see them over something which is potentially nothing, rather than put it off and risk not getting treatment they need. There are so many occasions when patients put off seeking help for a problem, when they could have benefited from treatment much earlier.
“So my advice is that you should never be scared to see a doctor if you’re concerned about something, whether you’ve researched it online or not.”
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