Jiri (56) began to suffer from pains of apparently neurological origin. He occasionally felt pain in the lower part of his right arm, which shot up to his neck and jaw. He felt a tingling sensation in the fingers of his right hand, or hardly felt them at all. The pain was so uncomfortable that he had to take pain medication. The problems lasted for weeks and did not stop. He searched for his diagnosis on Google, of course. It was only with the help of doctors and psychiatrists that it was discovered that George was suffering from cyberchondria.
What is it
Cyberchondria, as you can probably guess from the name, has to do with modern technology. It is an anxiety caused by endlessly searching internet forums where the sufferer tries to find answers to their health ailments. This form of hypochondria is nothing new. It has spread among people in parallel with the Internet. However, the unprecedented situation into which COVID-19 has plunged us has dramatically increased the incidence of this problem. Cyberchondria is already being addressed by scientists. Why is that?
- COVID-19 poses a constant threat to our health
- we have a lot of information flowing to us about it that we can’t sort out
Since the pandemic started, we’ve all been under a lot of pressure. The most vulnerable are those who are worried about their health or suffering from anxiety. But that’s not all. Cyberchondria is now appearing even in people who previously did not suffer from anxiety.
Too much information
Psychiatrists agree that this is mainly due to the vast amount of information we take in every day. They talk about nothing but COVID. This confuses most of us to say the least. At worst, it drives us to the brink of madness.
It is logical that we try to gain control of the situation by seeking more and more information. But unfortunately, the influx of information confuses us even more. And searching becomes an unhealthy thing. Any compulsive or addictive behavior is harmful. Try instead to switch off for a while and calm down. Otherwise, you risk falling into a vicious cycle.