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Barbie

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Lost a loved one
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Exerpts from an article in the Huffington Post March 31, 2013

Richard C. Senelick, M.D.: Cyberchondria: How the Internet Is Making Us Paranoid About Health


Cyberchondria

Just about everyone is familiar with the term hypochondriac, a condition that has existed for as long as man has been aware of the relationship between symptoms and illness. Famous hypochondriacs have included Adolf Hitler, Tennessee Williams and Howard Hughes.

Hypochondriasis is the fear of a serious illness that continues despite the reassurance of physicians and testing. These fears and anxieties about illness may become debilitating and interfere with daily life. In the past people, would go from doctor to doctor seeking an answer, but now many people never see a physician and rely solely upon online information. For hypochondriacs and the "worried well," the Internet is fertile ground to escalate their concerns. This interaction of excessive anxiety brought on by the use of online health information has been coined "cyberchondria."


What Should You Do?

• Become an informed user of search engines and be aware that the ranking on the page does not necessarily correlate with the quality of the information or the frequency of the disease.
• Ask yourself, "how much time do I spend searching health related materials and looking for a diagnosis?" You may be a cyberchondriac.
• If you find yourself stuck in a search of serious or rare diseases -- stop searching and get a medical opinion.
• The Internet is a source of a great deal of useful information, but many times it is best to use the Internet in partnership with your physician.
• Talk with your physician and tell her what is making you anxious, but be willing to accept that it may be something simple or something for which there is no clear cut explanation.


Folks--please go and read the rest of this article, and then read some more about this illness.. It isn't that we don't care or don't want you, it is just that most of you DO NOT BELONG HERE.

it is unbelievably upsetting and difficult to deal with the flood of people who come here everyday--who really do not have ALS. We do not have medical degrees, and we wish we were only pretending to have this crappy disease. we wish we could hear a doctor say we were fine.

If you come on here and have to argue with us to believe you, if you go to doctor after doctor and argue with them, you really need to unplug and see a therapist.

No one here would turn away from you if we thought you might really have ALS, no doctor would blow you off if they thought you had ALS.

Please, instead of posting here, wait, get off the internet. Do us all a favor.
 
OH! Barbie how wonderful! You rock girlfriend. This needs to be required reading for all. STICKY STICKY STICKY This shoud be a sticky.
 
Great post Barbie! This is exactly what ALL new comers need to read. How can we get this permanently attached to the first page......?
 
Barbie is the bomb diggity.

The only thing worse than reading these "no, REALLY, I swear I have ALS even though 17 doctors said I don't!" posts is the ones where people are claiming there is some magic cure they think they've come across.
 
I also vote to make this whole thread STICKY.
 
Click on the scale between the green dot and red triangle on the bottom left side of Barbie's post, approve of the post, and make a note in the comment box that you think it will make a good sticky
 
Thanks Deb, did it, hope everybody does too.
 
Yes, it's great and I have done the clickie bit to make it a stickie!
 
Though unfortunately I spelt it wrong, but it should still work :)
 
This forum is a magnet for Cyberchondriacs.
 
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