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![[Cyberchondria attacks people]](01lead.jpg)
![[Cyberchondria attacks people]](01lead.gif)
Rachel Pillai
If pornography's most wanted online, health comes a close second. One can find over 100,000 sites - of which the more popular get around three million hits a month -- hosted by anyone from medical journals, and universities, to drug companies, agony aunts, self-help groups and even outright cranks. What this situation has led to is a new disease called Cyberchondria, or Internet Printout Fever (IPO).
So, who is a cyberchondriac? "Most people are eager to gain medical knowledge from immature sources. Entering a field they know nothing about, and getting superficial knowledge from some of these sites can have serious, and sometimes irreversible, repercussions," says Dr Rajiv Anand, of New Horizons fame.
For the cyberchondriac, medical sites and journals provide ample evidence that help him or her invest disturbing dimensions to everyday ailments like stomach upsets, headaches, or allergies. The patients corner their doctors and insist on getting obscure tests done based on these false assumptions, thereby wasting time and money. Needless to say, this condition has caused a great deal of anxiety to health professionals and doctors.
Recent studies at the National Service Online (NHS) site show that, of the 1.5 million hits they receive daily, most inquiries come from mothers wanting to monitor the health of their families. Studies estimate that four to ten per cent of people seeking primary medical care may have some degree of hyper or cyberchondria. With two-thirds of surfers now logging on to health sites, it is also surprising to see how people are ready to disclose their most intimate details, thereby risking their privacy.
"Cyberchondria is a psychological disorder discovered. It is characterized by preoccupation with seeking information on health issues as well as diseases. This is in absence of a disease or unfounded fear of having a disease. The person does not have the actual need for information, but obsessively goes to different health sites to get information, says Dr Sohan Derasari M.D. (Psychiatry), Director, Psychopharmacology Research unit.
This kind of behaviour has the medical community worried, as it could lead to two dangers that both patients and doctors could encounter. Firstly, it would mean that patients could lay hands on dangerous drugs. Secondly, the Internet may soon turn into an unchecked source of legal drugs used for illegal purposes.
Several years ago, it was relatively difficult for the general public to obtain detailed medical information. The scenario, today, is radically different, thanks to the information superhighway. Name a disease and you can find the latest research, symptoms, case studies and treatment. There are zillions of online medical textbooks, web journals, and medical- related sites, all within easy reach of anyone, anywhere.
Sadly, there is no guarantee for the authenticity and accuracy of information provided; no proof that it is filtered through certified physicians or medical professionals. Moreover, the interactive properties of chat rooms and bulletin boards aggravate the problem. New sites promise sound, expert advice on all diseases. But how does one know whether the advice is biased and vendor free? In all probability, these sites could rely largely on the advertising of manufacturers of drugs and health products.
"The disorder can be cured with the help of counselling and prescribing placebo tablets, and can be prevented by teaching patients to only choose relevant information and leave the rest to doctors," says a spokesperson for Doctor Net, a medical portal.
There's no denying the fact that almost all of us suffer from mild bouts of hypochondria. The Internet only acts as rocket fuel in such a situation. Even those suffering from a diagnosed medical condition can start worrying, unnecessarily, about possible complications based on what they read at some Web site. For doctors, a cause of concern is this increasing propensity of people to become alarmed about minor issues.
Too much information can, and does, come at a price.
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