Free Symptom Diagnosis Creates New Medical Condition

When is the last time you checked the internet before going to the doctor to see what it is that may ail you? You are not alone. Free symptom diagnosis has become a common sort of website offering clues to possible new medical conditions that a user may have. However, could the DIAGNOSIS actually be creating the CONDITION? A recent article in Newsweek entitled "How to use the internet to get the best health advice without freaking yourself out" suggests there is a new medical condtion has a arisen that uniquely threatens tech-savvy individuals.

Cyberchondria, as it is termed, is the web-based equivelant of hyperchondria. Wheras, prior to the use of the internet, individuals had to diagnose themselves using self-recalled information, individuals are now aided by free websites promising to determine new medical conditions. Free symptom diagnosis creates self-fullfilling hypothesis about medical conditions. This phenomenon, Newsweek says, is created by search free web search-engines dedicated to sorting by relevance, not by probability.

So, for now, our doctors can rest easy that free symptom diagnosis is not going to replace professional prognosis.