There are essentially two bad ways this can go: Either you overestimate your symptoms and end up taking the wrong medication or engaging in the wrong self-treatment, or you underestimate your symptoms and let a condition worsen
In fact, research suggests that online symptom checkers are almost always wrong. So before you spiral down the symptom rabbit hole, learn why obsessively Googling symptoms is risky and how to look for accurate health information online.
There’s also the risk of developing “health anxiety,” real condition that involves excessive worrying that you are sick. You may know this condition as hypochondriasis, and you’re probably familiar with the word “hypochondriac.”
Even if you’re not a hypochondriac, searching for medical symptoms and illnesses online may add unnecessary worry and a lack of peace of mind to your life.
Research notes that while internet information can help people avoid unnecessary doctor visits for minor (or nonexistent) conditions, some people feel anxiety and fear about medical information they find online.
Part of the reason that searching for symptoms can send you into an anxious spiral has to do with the fact that there’s just so much health information online. While a great deal of online health content is trustworthy and accurate, much of it is not. But you can learn to decipher the good from the bad with the right tips.
If even after scouring through research you still feel lost, just go see your doctor. Not everyone can be a doctor — and the internet certainly cannot — so give yourself the luxury of peace of mind by seeing a real health professional.
And if carving out time for an in-person doctor’s appointment isn’t an option, try seeing a doctor online via one of the many telehealth companies. You can also contact a therapist online if your worries are more centered on mental or emotional health.