What is Cyberchondria and how can it affect you?

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Cyberchondria is similar to hypochondria. It refers to a clinical concept in which repeated Internet searches for medical information result in increased physical health concerns. Although cyberchondria is associated with symptoms of health anxiety, it is unclear whether cyberchondria displays a unique public burden. Over the last decade, a wealth of health information has become available online, and the majority of people have used the internet to find some kind of health information. However, because internet access is so widespread, cyberchondria is thought to affect more people.1 Previously, hypochondriacs had to visit doctors or libraries to learn about their health. With a few clicks of a computer mouse, you can now access a vast amount of information.

Many people who are sick turn to the internet to self-diagnose. It is estimated that approximately 70% of adult Americans use the internet to obtain medical information. This information may provide some people with a sense of relief or a better understanding of their medical condition. For others, this information heightens their health-related anxiety to unwarranted levels.2 The direction of causality in the relationship between online health-related searches and health anxiety may differ from person to person. In some cases, perhaps the majority of heightened health anxiety is the primary reason for online health-related searches; however, these searches only cause more distress and worsen health anxiety.3

Signs and Symptoms of Cyberchondria

The primary symptom of cyberchondria is that the affected person is overly concerned about having a life-threatening disease, despite having a few mild symptoms. The following are typical signs and symptoms of those who are affected:4

  • An irresistible desire for continuous searching for the information
  • Spending too much time searching online for facts about the mild symptoms you are experiencing
  • Panic and excessive worrying due to searching behavior
  • Want to hear confirmation of your diagnosis based on the internet find
  • Developing mistrust of medical professionals, as their facts don’t match your interpretation
  • Fear of having at least one or more life-threatening illnesses
  • While searching for correlated illnesses, you experience a rise in heart rate, sweating, palpitation, or other anxiety-related symptoms.
  • The desire for order, neatness, symmetry, or perfection.
  • You conclude that your findings are accurate despite the doctor’s suggestion.

Why do People worry about Health?

There are many valid reasons to worry about our health:5

  • We hear stories from others: Now that we spend our days on social media, it is no surprise that we learn that our friend's distant cousin had cancer and died — a story we would have missed if we weren't so connected.
  • Negativity bias: One of the evolutionary and uncontrollable reasons why we remember and notice the negatives more than the positives. Our brains are simply wired to be more sensitive to unpleasant news to survive.
  • Misinformation for free: According to a New York Times Magazine article, some sites that appear when you search for a symptom are likely to show you a worst-case scenario and scare you to make money.
  • We live in an arguably more stressful world: According to Professor Jean Twenge, author of "Generation Me," a more stressful life can be caused by weaker community ties, a greater focus on goals, and the high expectations we place on ourselves not to mention social media-induced comparisons.

Causes of Cyberchondria

People who suffer from depression or anxiety are more likely to develop cyberchondria. It is also common in people who have lost a loved one. First-time mothers are extremely prone to cyberchondria because they frequently conduct online research on their new babies.

While there is a wealth of information available on the internet, it is not always reliable or accurate. Instead of evidence-based research, blogs, and online support groups typically provide anecdotes and opinions. Other websites prey on people's fears to sell them unproven treatments. Even well-intended websites aren't perfect, because computer algorithms can't account for individual circumstances.6

You are also more likely to develop cyberchondria if you have a personal history of illness. For example, if someone in your family dies, especially if it is unexpected, or if someone close to you becomes ill, you may be more concerned about your health.

These factors can convince some people that common or vague symptoms are serious medical diagnoses. Cyberchondria patients are already hyper-aware of their bodies. Misinformation can increase their anxiety, which can make their symptoms appear worse.7

How can Cyberchondria Affect Mental Health?

Cyberchondria, like illness anxiety disorder and general anxiety, can hurt someone's quality of life, especially if it is severe. Anxiety can be devasting and make it difficult to perform daily tasks. Anxiety can also increase stress levels. Physical symptoms of stress and anxiety include high blood pressure and headaches. Anxiety can also have an impact on your relationships with friends and family, as well as your career if you miss work too frequently for doctor visits. If you request several medical tests, you may suffer a financial toll.

Nonmedical issues can arise as a result of cyberchondria. Relationships may suffer as family and friends grow tired of hearing about a person's health issues.8 Cyberchondria can also harm a person's career if they miss too many days of work due to their perceived illness. People suffering from this condition may also face financial consequences, both as a result of missing work and, in many cases, as a result of requesting costly medical tests or purchasing expensive treatments over the internet. Because some of these treatments may be fake, people may waste a lot of money trying them again and again until they find one that works.4

Cyberchondria also appears to have compulsive characteristics, with the behavior persisting despite its negative consequences (i.e., searches are time-consuming and result in increasing distress, neglect of commitments, conflicts with others, difficulties with healthcare providers, and increasing use of health services). Cyberchondria may be associated with compulsive Internet use in terms of this persistence in the face of negative consequences. Despite persistent negative consequences, both constructs appear to share an inability to control Internet use. Coping motives (e.g., using the Internet to escape from negative emotions) may also play a role in cyberchondria as a form of reassurance-seeking and avoidance behavior, as has been demonstrated repeatedly for compulsive internet use.9

Coping with Cyberchondria

There are steps people can take to manage cyberchondria:10

  • Don't be embarrassed about it: you could be in real pain and not pretending. Your fears stem from a place that is sometimes too deep and too old to recognize. The best way to overcome shame is to talk to a trusted friend or someone who has a similar tendency to be concerned about who might get you.
  • Drop into your body: Take a deep breath. Feel your feelings. Guided meditation can sometimes help (there are many different types, so if one doesn't work, try another).
  • Discuss your fears with your primary health care: : Informing them of your tendency to worry and keeping in touch with them can help alleviate fears and jump to conclusions.
  • Remember that it's not all your fault: : The environment we live in, as well as online misinformation, are designed to scare us.

The most important strategy for combating cyberchondria is to avoid excessive internet searching. Taking breaks from the internet can be a welcome distraction from health concerns. When searching for information online, it is generally best to stick with credible sources that are supported by scientific and medical research.2

Psychologist

Ms Lanurse Chen is a counselling psychologist who received her professional training in Australia. Over her decade long career as a psychologist in a local tertiary hospital, she has worked extensively with individuals, ranging from young adults to elderly, presented with anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, grief and loss, pain as well as adjustment issues.



References

1.Starcevic, V., Berle, D., & Arnáez, S. (2020). Recent insights into cyberchondria. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22, 1-8.

2. Aiken, M., Kirwan, G., Berry, M., & O’Boyle, C. A. (2012). The age of cyberchondria. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Student Medical Journal, 5(1), 71-74.

3. Starcevic, V., & Berle, D. (2013). Cyberchondria: towards a better understanding of excessive health-related Internet use. Expert review of neurotherapeutics, 13(2), 205-213.

4. Starcevic, V., Baggio, S., Berle, D., Khazaal, Y., & Viswasam, K. (2019). Cyberchondria and its relationships with related constructs: A network analysis. Psychiatric Quarterly, 90, 491-505.

5. Fergus, T. A., & Spada, M. M. (2017). Cyberchondria: Examining relations with problematic Internet use and metacognitive beliefs. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 24(6), 1322-1330.

6. Norr, A. M., Albanese, B. J., Oglesby, M. E., Allan, N. P., & Schmidt, N. B. (2015). Anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty as potential risk factors for cyberchondria. Journal of Affective Disorders, 174, 64-69

7. Avçin, E., & Can, Ş. (2022). The relationship between the stress experienced by parents and cyberchondria during the pandemic process. Library Hi Tech, 40(2), 548-568.

8. Li, J. (2022). Impact of Metaverse Cultural Communication on the Mental Health of International Students in China: Highlighting Effects of Healthcare Anxiety and Cyberchondria. American Journal of Health Behavior, 46(6), 809-820.

9. Yuan, W. (2022). Identifying the Effect of Digital Healthcare Products in Metaverse on Mental Health: Studying The Interaction of Cyberchondria and Technophobia. American Journal of Health Behavior, 46(6), 729-739.

10. Zheng, H., Kim, H. K., Sin, S. C. J., & Theng, Y. L. (2022). Exploring developmental trajectory of cyberchondria over time: A three-wave panel study. Telematics and Informatics, 75, 101892.


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