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Cyberchondria, also known as compuchondria, is a relatively recent term derived from the words cyber and hypochondria. It is defined broadly as an anxiety-induced escalation of concerns during a health-related online search. For example, a person searches online for “sore throat” and becomes horrified by reading descriptions of throat cancer. Their anxiety level escalates to the point they are convinced they have throat cancer.
Studies have shown that one out of five people have increased levels of anxiety when searching health-related subjects.
Physician Frustration
Patients who go against their physician’s medical advice, or refuse to accept a professional diagnosis in favor of online web sources, have become much more common. This is extremely frustrating to primary care physicians, who caution that professional second opinions should be relied upon rather than self-diagnosis.
This report is not a diagnosis. We hope this information can guide you toward improving your life.
Review our Knowledge Base or the links displayed on this page for similar and related topics.
See Also:
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
National Clearing House for Alcohol and Drug Information
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)