Choose the person in white over the website
Justin Dallaire | Fulcrum Contributor
Photo illustration by John Baisi
His name is Dr. Google. Web MD is his office, and he seems legit. He knows every illness in the book, and will narrow down your aches and pains to a short list of likely maladies, no questions asked. It’s no wonder he’s becoming the most popular medical doctor around. But with the highest number of misdiagnoses, he may just be the worst doctor to ever have graduated from medical school.
Dr. Google has become convenient, perhaps a little too convenient. In fact, according to recent studies, 80 per cent of people who visit health and medical websites self-diagnose on a regular basis. It’s as simple as quickly searching your symptoms and finding out what disease you’ve just contracted. In a matter of minutes, you have the answer to your most troubling questions.
The convenience of the Internet has led more people to consult online physicians than doctors. The choice seems reasonable, considering the lineups we expect at medical clinics (“What do you mean, a three-hour wait?!”), the embarrassing situations that can arise (“Can you describe the burning sensation?”), and the simple fact that many of us don’t have a regular GP.
But this type of self-diagnosis can be dangerous. When relying on the Internet, you’re almost sure to misdiagnose. If you ask Web MD, your incoherent babbling when questioned by a professor in class was probably caused by a brain aneurysm, not your incompetence. Oh, and that pesky headache of yours? Definitely a brain tumor.
These kinds of misdiagnoses, as exaggerated as they may seem, happen every day, and we are as much to blame as Dr. Google. Part of the problem lies in our inability to assess our condition objectively. It is almost impossible not to overestimate the severity of our illness and immediately imagine the worst case scenario.
This distortion of reality can cause high levels of anxiety in individuals who spend many hours self-diagnosing; real doctors suggest this may be the cause of a proliferating condition known as cyberchondria. Symptoms include obsessively researching the causes of your aches and pains, identifying with vague symptoms, posting health-related comments on Facebook, feeling anxious, and feeling even worse once you’ve realized, after “sufficient” research, that you’re probably going to die.
Do not fret. The cure is as simple as the self-diagnosis.
Remember the times you calmed a friend with the words, “Dude, you’re fine”? Imagine your reaction toward a friend with the same symptoms as you, and hopefully you’ll come to your senses and calm down.
Also, remember that if you can’t pronounce the name of the disease you have supposedly been infected with, you’re probably the wrong person to be diagnosing it. Leave that to the experts who have spent years in school learning to do just that.
And most importantly, log off and shut down. If you have a serious health concern, go to a real doctor. There’s a reason why they’re wearing the white coats and why Dr. Google is stuck inside a computer.
