When you’re sick, what do you do? Do you horse the Lemsips into you? Do you admit defeat and go to the doctor or do you, like thousands of other Irish people, take to Google, type your symptoms in and pray it’s good news as you hit the ‘search’ button?
According to figures released by healthcare professionals, nine out of 10 Irish people are suffering from ‘cyberchondria.’ What is cyberchondria you ask? Well as the name suggests, it’s a type of hypochondria and the main symptom involves using the internet to ‘self-diagnose’ your illness before you pay a visit to the doctor.
Cyberchondria is becoming such a problem in Ireland that the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) has now spoken out and warned patients against relying on medical advice from the internet and buying drugs online.
Speaking to the Oireachtas Committee on Health, Pat O’Mahony, the chief of the IMB, said that “widespread” misuse of the internet to obtain health information is one of the main challenges facing the health safety watchdog.
Mr O’Mahony said that a recent survey of healthcare professionals showed that they believed 90 per cent of their patients only seek their advice after they’ve used the internet to self-diagnose.
Do you always turn to the internet first when you’re feeling unwell?
Speaking last night, Kathy Maher from the Irish Pharmacy Union said that patients are actually putting their health at risk by accessing information online because it can lead to a delayed diagnosis of a serious illness.
“People may delay going to the doctor and falsely reassure themselves by using the internet, or they may needlessly worry themselves sick that they have a problem that they don’t have,” said Ms Maher, speaking to the Irish Daily Mail.
“What they should do is go to the pharmacist or GP and have that verbal conversation,” she added.
Also addressing the issue, the spokesman for the Irish Patients’ Association, Stephen McMahon, said that the reality of the situation is that many people use the internet for health advice simply because they cannot afford to go to their GP.
“They may also use the net because they think there is a stigma associated with their illness or they may be embarrassed to discuss what issue they have,” said Mr McMahon.
What do you think ladies? Are you guilty of paging ‘Dr Google’ every once in a while when you’re not feeling the best?
