Your foot is twitching again, as it has been for the last two days. Unable to stand it any longer, you do what every knowledgeable woman would: You search your symptoms on WebMD. Suddenly, a wave of possible diagnoses crashes over your computer screen and an even bigger wave of fear crashes over you. Cancer? Nerve damage? A disease you can’t even pronounce? You might as well just call in sick for work and book a doctor’s appointment ASAP.
Welcome to the world of self-diagnosis or, as some might call it, the rise of the hypochondriacs. With an expansive directory of illnesses – the Internet – at your fingertips, obsessing over certain symptoms or personality traits is easier than ever. Is this a new phenomenon? How common is self-diagnosis today? And is the rise of the hypochondriacs the fall of healthy, productive members of society? Learn the answers with these facts, stats and stories.
History
The medical condition of hypochondria has existed, according to the Brain Journal, for thousands of years. While originally associated with digestive issues and melancholy in the 18th century, hypochondria often acted as a distinction of class and a trigger for creative genius (such as in renowned writers and hypochondriacs, James Boswell and Charles Darwin).
However, The Guardian reports that the nature and commonality of hypochondria shifted as society evolved. As John Naish, author of “The Hypochondriac’s Handbook” explains, modern civilization lowered the number of mortal diseases, but newly discovered diseases receive unwarranted publicity. Also, people now have more time and money to spend “fixing” their problems. All of these factors promote more hypochondriac-like thinking. Combined with the enormity of information on the Internet, another version of hypochondria has also emerged: cyberchondria (medial fears that emerge from Internet searches).
Today
Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of surveyed Internet users have searched for health information online in the past year and 35 percent of U.S. adults have tried to self-diagnose a medical condition using the Internet. Why should you care? Partially because women are more likely than men to use the Internet as a medical tool. “Self-diagnosers” are also more likely to be white, earn over $75,000 and have a college degree.
Danger in Self-Diagnosis?
While being concerned about your health is typically a good thing, several dangers emerge with the rise of self-diagnosing hypochondriacs. As Slate explains, access to medical information online helps people by encouraging them to actively participate in decisions about their health. However, online medical sites can’t provide the context or medical knowledge needed to understand the provided information. Not to mention that the flood of available facts and stories can overwhelm patients.
Some possible side effects of feeling overwhelmed? As Dr. Michele Curtis says in an article for “Women’s Health,” some self-diagnosers can become “paralyzed by denial” which often leads them to join the 30 percent of people who don’t follow up with a doctor. Women’s Health also points out that one-third of health-related searches increase in severity (changing, for instance, from stomach cramps to internal bleeding) and 50 percent of searchers feel more anxious after researching their symptoms.
In fact, self-analysis of any trait – your health, personality or other aspect of your identity – can be harmful. According to Becky Kane at Todoist, overanalyzing can often cause a paralysis that decreases your ability to succeed at mentally demanding tasks, destroys creativity, lowers willpower and makes you less happy. While people might think finding out what’s “wrong with them” via the Internet will make them feel better, self-diagnosis may instead trigger even more problems and anxieties.
