Can self diagnoses on the internet cause harmful repercussions for health phobia suffers?

[Jade]

I know I’m guilty of it myself and most of us have probably turned to Google to try and diagnose symptoms or other health problems.
I personally think this would be very harmful what do you think?
For example if you were suffering with the flu and and used a Google search to try and diagnose your symptoms you would see that a lot of the symptoms of cold or flu it shares the same symptoms with the start of the Ebola Virus.More often then not if you suffer from health and sickness phobias your are more likely to assume the worst and start to panic.

If you do suffer with health phobias and do start to feel unwell it is best to go to your local GP that can give you an accurate diagnoses instead of trying to research the cause your illness online which is more often than not going to create severe panic and anxiety.

 

[Mark]

I totally agree - the forum is a place for people to openly discuss their issues but they should approach their doctor for a more accurate diagnoses and medical assistance where required.

Personally I think that talking about your issues in an open venue such as the forum takes away some of the stress and strain - I have found it quite liberating to chat with like-minded people about my experiences. One thing which always sticks in my mind from my first panic attack was the feeling of isolation - I thought I was the only one going through this but there are many many people like me but they dont have to suffer alone.

 

[Jade]

Yes a forum such as this one is a great outlet to discuss symptoms and problems and connect with people who can share your feelings and relate to them. It can sometimes be harder to accept your condition when you feel nobody can relate to what your experiencing and as you said this can result in feelings of isolation. We all must remember we are not alone and shouldn't feel any shame or stigma towards our condition . I’ve found the tips shared on here to be very helpful and I hope I can help others as well.

 

[pixie10]

My boss was telling me yesterday about an app he's downloaded where you can book a 'facetime' consultation with an NHS doctor through your phone at a time to suit you! Sounds amazing and far more convenient than spending half an hour every morning on the phone trying to get through to a receptionist at our local GPs to get an appointment! But i'm wondering if the negative side of that is reassurance being available 24/7 for anyone suffering with anxiety. The hardest part of it all is convincing ourselves we can cope with anxiety all by ourselves, and the symptoms of anxiety are very unpleasant but not harmful. I personally don't like reading about anxiety descriptions as it just makes me start thinking about them!

The internet is a wonderful thing but can definitely feed the insecurities of many of us unfortunately.

 

[Jade]

My boss was telling me yesterday about an app he's downloaded where you can book a 'facetime' consultation with an NHS doctor through your phone at a time to suit you! Sounds amazing and far more convenient than spending half an hour every morning on the phone trying to get through to a receptionist at our local GPs to get an appointment! But i'm wondering if the negative side of that is reassurance being available 24/7 for anyone suffering with anxiety. The hardest part of it all is convincing ourselves we can cope with anxiety all by ourselves, and the symptoms of anxiety are very unpleasant but not harmful. I personally don't like reading about anxiety descriptions as it just makes me start thinking about them!

The internet is a wonderful thing but can definitely feed the insecurities of many of us unfortunately.

As you say that is very convenient but I also think it wouldn’t be a great idea in the long run for an anxiety sufferer to have that constant reassurance. I’m the type of person that relies a little too much on reassurance for my anxiety and that is something I do need to address so I probably would end up feeding my need for reassurance far to much if I used that app. I also think its good to have your own GP that you go and see as they will be more familiar with you and your condition.

 

[GH0STP03T]

Seemingly indulging yourself in website related to your phobia or supposed phobia does more harm than good in my opinion - filling your mind with unnecessary doubts and worries. I think if you have been diagnosed by a GP or medical professional and you want to find out more about your symptoms then I'd say go ahead and use the net.

 

[Jade]

Seemingly indulging yourself in website related to your phobia or supposed phobia does more harm than good in my opinion - filling your mind with unnecessary doubts and worries. I think if you have been diagnosed by a GP or medical professional and you want to find out more about your symptoms then I'd say go ahead and use the net.

I totally agree with you Ghost but as you said the internet can be very useful on finding more about your diagnoses or reading up on treatments that are used in relation to it. Even with this though you have to be careful as there’s so much content on the internet you may have to read through to find something reputable. The best thing would be to stick with websites such as the NHS where the information is correct and coming from a medical professional.