Symptoms of Cyberchondria
We consult the Internet for answers to all kinds of questions. The vast majority seem to be about porn and online gaming. But we ask a good number of serious questions, too, especially about our health. The average American apparently spends 52 hours per year looking up health information online, and sees a doctor just three times. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that one-third of Americans say they have gone online specifically to diagnose a medical condition.
I’m surprised that so few people ‘fessed up to being digital diagnosers. Doesn’t everybody do this? Here’s how it works for me. I get a symptom — a small mole on my arm, say, that has started bleeding for no good reason. I do a Google Image search of said symptom, find a photo that matches, and assume that person’s diagnosis as my own. Done and done. Who needs health insurance?
I’m kidding, of course — that’s never how it turns out. What actually happens is, the more I read about the possible ailments my symptom may be marking — blood blister, sunburn, dry skin, ingrown hair, malignant melanoma — the more panicked I feel. I go to Internet for more certainty, but usually end up with less.
So far, I’ve managed to walk away from the computer before convincing myself that I have a deadly disease. But many people don’t. When confronted with a list of possible explanations for their symptoms, they believe the worst-case scenario. This behavior is called cyberchondria, and, like its sister condition, hypochondria, it understandably causes a lot of anxiety.
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