Let’s talk about health anxiety in the internet age

“I know I am fine, but my subconscious mind will have the best of me if I do not confirm this,” –Khalid explains why he decided to get a full body checkup as he battles paranoia from looking up disease symptoms on the internet.

After surviving a fatal traffic accident about a year ago, with help from the internet, he diagnosed himself with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a futile attempt to self-medicate redirected him to a specialist. The specialist’s diagnosis and prescription were consistent with Khalid’s preconceptions and this grew his confidence in both the internet and his abilities to peruse through the wild wild web.

For a while, the internet was his immediate and often final voice of reason whenever he needed medical advice. His preference for the internet he says, is founded on the tardy access to professionals in hospital settings and points out how the internet tides that over.

He is not alone on this. One US study on ‘Access to health care and internet search for health information’ revealed that, people who experienced trouble accessing health care services are more likely to report using the internet to obtain health information.

Lately, he has been feeling a little sick and a lot more worried as all internet roads lead him to a cardiac situation. His medical and family histories suggest an unlikelihood but his trust on the internet tips the scale when he tries not to worry. He has decided to dismiss these worries -or confirm them- with a full body checkup.

I met Khalid at Kairuki Memorial Hospital where we were both waiting to see a cardiologist. Between fidgeting with his keys and googling terms on his result sheet, his anxiety was made obvious by his time to time heavy sighs. Sharing this story with a total stranger might have been a way to distract himself and I was a happy listener.

Searching for health information is one of the most popular activities online and cyberchondriac is an actual term for someone who suffers a state of web induced medical anxiety after using the internet to self-diagnose an ailment.

Health concerns seem to escalate often when a search of seemingly benign symptoms suggest the possibility of a serious illness. On contrasting instances, people have been reassured when their worries over what they imagined to be terminal symptoms were dismissed with possibilities of milder conditions.

Google is the most preferred search engine and several studies have been done to analyse the accuracy of its results in relation to search content. The findings of these studies suggest that in the cyber world, fruits can and very often do fall very far from their trees. Results of searching a rash could go as far as suggesting a psoriasis, eczema and even worse meningitis. Searchers can arrive to constipation from searching abdominal pain when they actually have gallstones or misdiagnose a headache as a brain tumour.

Health professionals report patients who refused treatment while quoting the internet and concerns are growing as internet use increases. The positive influence that the internet has had in improving life and health cannot be denied but it’s wild nature makes experts question users’ ability to extract accurate information off of it.

Suggestions have been made to improve access to and reliability of resources that are publicly available online. Readers are also called to be very critical when browsing for health information online.

Here are a few tips to help improve reliability of information from the internet;

Check the website and the author’s reputation and then check the date it was published. Reputable sources and recent findings make better references. As you read, pay more attention to peer reviews rather than testimonials and wether the information petrifies you or reassures you. Always remember that even the most comprehensive internet search can never replace a trained eye.

Most importantly, because the content is potentially hazardous, ‘caveat quaeror’ -let searchers be warned: the internet is a dangerous tool for self-diagnosis and this may increase anxiety for people who lack training in the health profession.