We’ve all been there – after some unexplained symptoms appear, it’s easier to pull up Google on your phone than it is to go see your GP. The thing about Dr Google is, though, that a regular tension headache can easily be linked to the most alarming medical conditions.

It happens so easily. One minute you’re typing your symptoms into Google, just to get some peace of mind, and next thing you know you’re convinced your headache is from a brain tumour. In fact, this is so common that it’s become a bit of a joke in the medical community – if you google a symptom (ANY symptom), you’ll always be told you have cancer.

Search engines have revolutionised our world by bringing information to our fingertips, which is obviously incredible. While they may be great tools for research on some topics, medical symptoms aren’t one of them.

The main reason not to Google your symptoms is that it won’t give you a diagnosis. Studies have shown Dr Google is wrong more often than not, and anecdotes from the medical community tell a story of Google making people feel more anxious, rather than relieved. A Google search result is not an official diagnosis by a doctor, so the uncertainty over your condition will still linger.

Google-induced health anxiety is real. So real, that a specific word has been coined for it – cyberchondria. The term is a play on the word hypochondria – a term referring to excessive anxiety over health.

Google doesn’t see you or hear you, and it doesn’t know your medical history or other symptoms.

What’s more, anyone can publish anything on the internet. That’s what makes the internet both so great and so dangerous at the same time. There’s lots of information on Google, but there’s no one reviewing its accuracy. Wikipedia, the most common source to research medical diagnoses, can be edited by anyone.

Unfortunately, some websites may even prey on people’s health anxiety to sell bogus treatments.

t’s not wrong to educate yourself on a health topic, especially one that you’ve been diagnosed with previously. It can help you bring some relevant questions to the table when discussing the situation with your doctor.

At the end of the day, the reason we Google our symptoms is to have peace of mind. And, the only way to truly get peace of mind is to step away from Dr Google and seek help from a medical professional.

Google can be a starting point, but not a final answer.  LEARN MORE;