Nowadays, it is possible to find all kinds of information on the Internet. There are many different health-themed websites, but have you ever questioned which one is really reliable? Cyberchondric individuals are concerned about their own health by internalizing every health information they read without making this questioning.
Even though the information on the internet helps people to discover their problems, sometimes people can be overly influenced by this information, causing their psychology to deteriorate. In order to understand the distinction in this matter, let’s first look at what cyberchondria is.
What is cyberchondria?
Cyberchondria also brings with it a health concern as a result of excessive searching for health information on the internet. People who show cyberchondria behavior are also called cyberchondria. In other words, if you are constantly doing research about your health on the internet, and if you are worried after reading these researches, you may be cyberchondric. Moreover, the anxiety caused by cyberchondria can lead to the situation of seeking more health information again.
Is cyberchondria a mental illness?
Cyberchondria is seen as a pathology that can cause internet addiction. However, it has not been able to find a separate area of its own within the DSM-V criteria. For this reason, it is not possible to make a clear definition as a psychological disease. Cyberchondria can be considered as a behavioral disorder that develops due to the use of technology. Likewise, the American Psychiatric Association has not made a clear statement about whether cyberchondria is a psychological disease.
How do you know if you are cyberchondric? Symptoms of cyberchondria:
Cyberchondric individuals seem to perceive that they have a problem, even though there is nothing serious in their health status. Despite the normal course of their health, people may have great concerns about their health.
Cyberchondriacal people may constantly search for health information on the Internet. Therefore, they spend a lot of time online on the Internet. In cyberchondric individuals, there is an effort to get information from doctors and experts on any subject. In fact, although what the experts say relieves the cyberchondria for a while, their anxious search for health continues. Sometimes even cyberchondria can be distrustful of medical professionals. What experts say may not feel satisfying or sufficient for cyberchondria. Well, if you say what to do in this case, how is a cyberchondric characteristic, you must first understand it.
Cyberchondria have some typical characteristics. These;
- Worrying about health when you don’t really have any symptoms.
- Spending long hours online searching for information for minor health issues.
- Fear of having one or more diseases.
- What he reads on the Internet worries him more than comforts him
- Fast heartbeat, sweating, or anxiety when searching the Internet
- Always thinking of the worst outcome for health
- Making major diagnoses of simple illnesses and adding anxiety to worry
- To accept every information read on the Internet as true and the only truth.
What are the triggers of cyberchondria? What causes cyberchondria?
Many conditions, from trauma to chronic stress, can lead to cyberchondria. An anxious nature in general can cause cyberchondria. Generalized anxiety disorder was found in 70% of cyberchondric individuals. Apart from this, being more aware of bodily sensations than other people can trigger cyberchondria. If there is someone in the family of cyberchondric individuals who has had a serious illness, this may cause the person to worry about the disease.
How can we solve cyberchondria?
In terms of being cyberchondric, it may be recommended to first examine the situation with awareness without blaming oneself. Excessively seeking health information can be quite restrictive for a person’s daily life. Since this situation arises from the need of people to get out of their anxious mood and get into a mood that they trust, it may be necessary to create a suitable environment of trust for cyberchondric individuals.
In other words, instead of looking for the trust they need on the internet, people should try to reach a doctor, specialist or someone who is a professional in their field directly. Since cyberchondric individuals may be distrustful of experts, it may be comforting for cyberchondric individuals to provide an environment of trust by making detailed explanations to these individuals.
It is important for healthcare professionals to tell people with cyberchondria that they should not search for information from every site on the Internet, but only read reliable sources. Cyberchondriacal people should read only reliable sources of health institutions instead of reading health information from every source.
In this way, a control over the behavior of the cyberchondria can be achieved. The most important thing is to identify which fear is causing the anxiety that a cyberchondric person is in. In this way, the main emotion that causes anxiety can be discovered and the source of the problem can be reached to solve the problem.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4
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