Quantcast
 

Are You A 'Cyberchondriac'?

Mon, 08/06/2007 - 4:00pm by geeksugar
5,689 Views - 34 comments

It all starts with a headache, then you get the chills and sharp pain ensues not long after. What is one to do? Do you raid the medicine cabinet, go to the doctors or ask Mr. Internet what could be the problem? According to a Harris Interactive poll, 160 million Americans tend to use the net instead of their doctor to diagnose medical conditions or to find health information. The amount of these so-called "cyberchondriacs" has increased by 37 percent over the last two years. I'm guilty of it, heck I do it all the time. What about you? Leave your answers below! Source

Read Related:  

34 Comments Add a Comment

  • KadBunny's picture
    KadBunny
    1

    Guilty. I try not to but honestly half the things I find on the net make more sense and totally do the trick. Obviously if it's something major I'd haul my butt to the doctor's but for every little symptom--internet first.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Pez4Pres's picture
    Pez4Pres
    2

    I'll look symptoms up, but I always go to the doctor if I have a problem. Then I come home and read up on their diagnosis and check out the prescription's they give me.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • bizzybee's picture
    bizzybee
    3

    I find more information on the web than my doctors have the time or inclination to share with me. Sometimes I discover things that help my doctor to better address my problems. So yeah I'm guilty.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • meaghan07's picture
    meaghan07
    4

    All the time. If it's not that bad I take the advice given but if it gets worse or is pretty bad to begin with I'll head into the doctors office.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • macgirl's picture
    macgirl
    6

    omg, I just called my OB because of symptoms I'm having and babycenter.com saying to call. If I wouldn't have read that I would have never have called my doctor. Too funny.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • NQF's picture
    NQF
    7

    I am not a cyberchondriac but I diagnose my friends ailments all the time using the internet. Then they go to the doctor and I'm always right. I'm gonna start charging! Eye-wink

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • pinkflats's picture
    pinkflats
    9

    Actually I still prefer the old "going to see the doctor for a check up" than just looking it up no matter how convenient it is to go online. I guess I'm just old-fashioned.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Masqueraded_Angel's picture
    Masqueraded_Angel
    10

    I do this all the time. Yahoo! answers is my homepage for looking up symptoms and such. Like others though, if it's something super serious, then my butt is in the doctor's office.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • tdamji's picture
    tdamji
    11

    yes, i am for sure! i hate going to the doctors office. i don't actually have a doctor and haven't for maybe 15 years...i always just go to a drop in clinic on the rare occasion when i do go (last time i went was for a shot i needed to go to India but it was going to cost too much (even with free healthcare in Canada) so i decided against it...that was about 4 years ago).

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • figurine's picture
    figurine
    12

    I am kind of a hypochondriac, but I never look up what I may (not) suffer from. Laughing out loud

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • rubialala's picture
    rubialala
    13

    I totally look up symtpoms on the internet before I decide if I should make an appointment.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • ThePerfectScore's picture
    ThePerfectScore
    14

    I am so guilty! But if I am majority concerned I go to the doc! But I swear I have diagnosed... well misdiagonsed many a disease using the internet!

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • shafiii's picture
    shafiii
    18

    never. haha i just go to my mother who tells me that i dont drink enough milk or eat enough bananas and thats it!

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • junebrug's picture
    junebrug
    19

    I've never, ever looked up something on the internet when I felt sick. They have no idea what's going on with you in cyberspace. Besides, whatever your symptoms are, it always says "cancer". Okay, I may have looked once.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Phil's picture
    Phil
    20

    Gah. I haven't been to the doctor in 7 or 8 years. I think I've Googled every ingredient that is found in my regular meals and in the products I use (shampoo, moisturizer, deodorant, dish soap, detergent....) in hopes that I'm not exposing myself to chemicals that may be hurting my immune system in some way. And any time that I feel distinctly strange, I google all my symptoms to pinpoint (well, guestimate) what it may be. So I now have a vague knowledge that the small lump on my lower back that I always think is growing even though it probably isn't is probably not cancer. So my heart can stop racing and I don't need to go to the doctor. Unfortunately, I still don't know what the ef causes canker sores.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • intensebandgeek's picture
    intensebandgeek
    21

    When you're sick, why leave the comfort of your bed to go see a doctor when you can probably find a way to make yourself feel better online?

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • millarci's picture
    millarci
    22

    Guilty. I hate going to the doctor. I go online to webmd.com and see if I can figure out if I need to go to the doctor. Isn't that terrible? *sigh*

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Lizy's picture
    Lizy
    24

    ok I admit, i do too. I hate doctor, they always have to take your blood, do some testing and blah blah blah. I hate all that. or you can say that i'm scared. so i rather go online find a solution for myself.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • geeksugar's picture
    geeksugar
    28

    Wowzers! A majority of us are complete cyberchondriacs! Thanks for your comments!

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • clarient's picture
    clarient
    29

    I'll check for the small things, but if I'm seriously feeling ill, it's a doctor for me.

    Also the internet is way useful in letting me know symptoms for millions of horrible diseases or conditions.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • colormesticky's picture
    colormesticky
    30

    I was at the doctor A LOT last year. It took 8 emergency room visits for pain plus several regular doctor visits before they found out I needed my spleen removed. So now I hate going to the doctor, not to mention now that I'm "cured" I feel like my regular doctor don't take me seriously. Even though I've already had 2 sinus infections, a bladder infection, and an ear infection this year. So yeah, guilty. Sometimes it's just best to leave your doctor alone and save it till you really need them.

    1 year 9 weeks ago Report Comment
  • discocactus's picture
    discocactus
    33

    I gave up WebMd long ago, after it gave me a couple anxiety attacks. Everything could possibly mean death-headaches, being tired, having a runny nose. Gah.

    1 year 8 weeks ago Report Comment
  • dpagonis's picture
    dpagonis
    34

    everytime I try to diagnose myself on the internet, It tells me I have arterial monochromia.

    1 year 8 weeks ago Report Comment

Leave a Comment

To post comments, please sign in or register.