Are you an Internet hypochondriac?

William Atkins
Sunday, 30 November 2008 01:53

Science - Health

They called the World Wide Web “fertile ground” for people with hypochondria to make Internet searches, such as with Google, Ask.com, Boogami, and Wikia, and change their minor symptoms into major symptoms. [InternetNews.com]

White and Horvitz state, "We found that escalation is potentially related to the amount and distribution of medical content viewed by users, the presence of escalatory terminology in pages visited and a user’s predisposition to escalate or seek more reasonable explanations for ailments." [InternetNews.com]

They added, "Information drawn from the Web can influence how people reflect and make decisions about their health and wellbeing, including the attention they seek from healthcare professionals, and behaviors with regard to diet, exercise, and preventative, proactive health activities.” [InternetNews.com]

On the other hand, the Microsoft researchers say that Internet searches for medical information is useful to people.

They state, "Our findings suggest that there is inappropriate escalatory risk associated with using general Web search to support differential diagnosis, and that more valuable information may come via search within expert medical sites.” [InternetNews.com]

The report by White and Horvitz made these conclusions: “Our results show that Web search engines have the potential to escalate medical concerns. We show that escalation is influenced by the amount and distribution of medical content viewed by users, the presence of escalatory terminology in pages visited, and a user’s predisposition to escalate versus to seek more reasonable explanations for ailments.”

In addition, “We also demonstrate the persistence of post-session anxiety following escalations and the effect that such anxieties can have on interrupting user’s activities across multiple sessions.”

And, “Our findings underscore the potential costs and challenges of cyberchondria and suggest actionable design implications that hold opportunity for improving the search and navigation experience for people turning to the Web to interpret common symptoms.”

As with any medical problem, it is always adviseable to consult with your family doctor or other such medical professional and not rely on the wisdom, or lack of wisdom, of the Internet.

The Web is generally a good source for medical information, especially with well known and established medical-related organizations such as The Mayo Clinic and WebMD.

It should be a way to better inform yourself while consulting with your doctor, but not your "only" source for diagnosis and treatment.