Dr. Google

Web MD, healthline, mayoclinic and other sites like these can be helpful in deciding when to visit a doctor or deciding treatment for mild concerns.

If you have anxiety though, you may experience panic and fear when googled symptoms are ‘consistent’ with severe illnesses. You can spend hours on the internet convinced that you are seriously ill. You may then set up appointments with specialists to rule things out.

This is even though the online symptom checkers are often wrong! One study from Harvard Medical school found that symptom checkers gave  the correct diagnosis only 34% of the time.

These checkers give us the illusion of control. Of knowing what is going on, but the reality is they just create more anxiety. The only way to get an accurate diagnosis is with medical testing, not googling.

We often see the two extremes:

1)      googling everything and constantly setting up appointments to rule out diagnoses

2)      never going to the doctor to avoid getting a negative diagnosis

Finding a middle ground is key.

Regular yearly check-ups are important and if you can find a doctor who understands health-related anxiety, that is ideal. There may be times you do need to see a specialist or when you do choose to get a second opinion and that is okay.

Some people may need to fully opt-out of googling. When there is a health concern you may have a family or friend ‘googler’ who can confirm whether you should go to a doctor or not.

Remember, google is not the best source for diagnosis. So limit symptom checkers and find a balance that works for you.