I have lead poisoning. At least that`s what a search on the Internet would have me believe. Either that or a brain tumour. It might not be lead poisoning, though, because as far as I am aware, the pipes in my house are copper. So by process of elimination, it must be a brain tumour.
Of course, I don`t really have either. I happen to go through periods of stress-induced insomnia. I have done so all my life. And, as a result of being tired from lack of sleep, I often have a dull headache. That`s all there is to it.
But when I entered those symptoms into an online search engine, I came up with the possibility that I was either being poisoned by lead or had a brain tumour. I suppose I could have used it to get free sympathy drinks at a cocktail function, but I know for a fact that it isn`t true.
The Internet seems to have a strange power over people, and we tend to give it more credibility than it deserves. We are unlikely to take the medical advice of an untrained colleague, but if it`s on the Internet, it must be true, even if the creator of the Web site is anonymous, and for all we know may even be that untrained colleague, who runs a folk medicine Web site in his spare time.
But this phenomenon is so common now that it even has a name - cyberchondria - derived from its more low-tech cousin, hypochondria.
Essentially, cyberchondria is the use of information on the Internet to convince oneself that one has a specific disease. Cyberchondriacs often arrive at the doctor, printouts in hand, demanding a treatment for disease X. They are convinced they have this disease because an Internet search based on their symptoms turned up the illness.
Never mind the fact that the doctor has years of study and experience behind him. If the Internet says it is lead poisoning, then it must be lead poisoning. And the poor doctor is then faced with the difficulty of trying to convince the patient that he needs treatment for something else.
There has been a lot of fuss about the subject in foreign newspapers recently as cyberchondria seems to be on the increase, with these people wasting doctors` time. Of course, we have always had hypochondriacs among us, but many more people have access to the Internet than to expensive medical texts.
The Internet seems to have a strange power over people, and we tend to give it more credibility than it deserves.
Iain Scott, Finance editor, ITWeb
The problem with an Internet diagnosis is that a search for symptoms has no appropriate filters. A doctor not only listens to a patient`s description of symptoms, but discovers a good deal through physical examination. No Internet site, however well meaning, can be an adequate substitute.
But some people don`t stop at self-diagnosis. Many Web sites also offer advice on self-treatment. It should go without saying that here lies the potential for great danger.
Yet, despite the inappropriateness of the Internet for self-diagnosis, doctors say the Web still has a positive role to play. Its value lies in finding further information after a professional diagnosis. We just have to make sure the sites from which we glean information are credible. Another positive aspect of the Web is the phenomenon of support groups.
People suffering from a serious disease can now get in touch with fellow sufferers from around the world on a regular basis. Perhaps there`s even a support group for cyberchondriacs.
Personally, I see a lot of hidden value in cyberchondria. It sounds exotic enough to tell people at the next cocktail function that I have been diagnosed with it. I wonder how many drinks I can get out of them.
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