Dr C: “Checking symptoms online is a good idea”

Recent reports claimed that big increases in internet health searches show we’re all hypochondriacs. Dr C begs to differ!

Reports recently said that a rise in Google searches for health topics showed we’re a nation of hypochondriacs. That’s a total misuse of the word hypochondria, which is a serious psychiatric diagnosis. Also, the types of ailments people are Googling, like IBS and back pain, the NHS doesn’t deal with very well. People probably don’t feel like battling to get an appointment if they can help themselves at home.

TELL YOUR DOCTOR

I always ask patients if they’ve Googled their symptoms. They look sheepish, but I tell them it’s not a bad thing. I want to know whether they think they’ve worked out what’s wrong, because it can be hard to describe your own symptoms. Google can scare people – they come to the GP having had a week-long headache and have diagnosed themselves with brain cancer. I want them to tell me that, so I can explain why they’re wrong.

COMPARE OPTIONS

When I’m torn between two different things, I often write down the two most likely diagnoses, and ask my patients to go away, Google both, then come back and tell me what they think. If a patient is scared by what they’ve read in an internet search and it gets them to the doctor, that’s good. If it tells them when to call an ambulance, that’s also good. As long as you look at sensible sites, like NHS.UK, you can receive trusted advice. Googling “How can I relieve sciatica”, a type of nerve pain that runs down the back of your leg, which 110,000 people searched, isn’t hypochondria – it’s proactive and sensible. It’s hard to get physio on the NHS, but you can find stretches that help ease the pain on their website. Similarly, for lower back pain, which had 638,000 searches, sites like Mayo Clinic give good advice. Hypochondriacs are obsessed with being ill when they’re not. Checking your symptoms online sounds far more like people who are unwell looking for ways to feel better.

DON’T IGNORE NIGGLES

The most searched conditions were things like acne, IBS and cold sores, which you may be able to treat yourself, with the help of a pharmacist. I’m glad 386,000 people Googled “Is chest pain serious?” I’d prefer that, rather than them assuming it was heartburn. We Google everything now, so it’s no surprise that extends to symptoms. It just shows we’re aware and not ignoring worries.